Ranma/Metroid; 'Ill Gain'
by WFROSE
Summary: Nabiki and Kasumi take up the mantle of the universe's greatest Space Hunter. (Complete)
1. Prologue

Ranma 1/2 crossover...  
  
  
  
  
Former planet Earth, seven years ago...  
  
  
"GET INSIDE!" Soun shouted, shoving his middle daughter into the vessel. Kasumi rushed over to help her sister to her feet, and looked desperately towards her father.  
  
"But Daddy!" Nabiki pleaded, looking up at her father through the exit hatch.  
  
"I don't want to hear any more! I must go get your other sister," the Tendou Patriarch countered, as he leapt from the top of the ship back to the ground. Both sisters rushed to the front window, witnessing the massive battle that went on outside the golden vessel.  
  
Ranma fought to defend the vessel from the gelatinous creatures, putting use every aspect of the art he had been trained in towards destroying the floating jellyfish-like beasts. Off to the side, Ryoga fought along with him, dealing out as much damage as they could. Both girls knew that among the fighters were the two surviving Amazons, Genma Saotome, their own father, and finally the mysterious person in yellow and red high tech body armor. They hoped Akane was still among the living, and that their father would be able to rescue her before she too had fallen as had Ukyo, Shampoo, Konatsu, and Nodoka had.  
  
"MOUKU TAKABISHA!" Ranma fired off his attack at an oncoming creature. At that moment, the armored fighter turned towards the pigtailed boy and screamed no. Unfortunately her warning came too late, as the beam of energy slammed into its target, pushing it back into the air a good few meters. Suddenly, it screeched in defiance, and plowed into the beam, absorbing it as it went headed straight for the pigtailed boy. Ranma grunted as the thing enveloped as much as it could of him, it's jellied mass jostling with its prey's frantic fighting of it. Ranma started to scream as it started to glow.  
  
"RANMA!" Ryoga swung his umbrella like a baseball bat, sending the creature he was currently battling into the distance, and turned around to strike the one that was enveloping his rival/friend. The fanged boy paid for his concern, as another one of the creatures grasped onto him.  
  
With a bellow of fury, several vacuum blades flew from the floating creature that held Ranma, slicing it into several twitching masses. The pigtailed boy stood for a few seconds, panting while hunched over and wiping his mouth. The Demon God Assault along with the extraterrestrial beast's attack hat taken a lot out of him, in fact it was enough for him to collapse. Almost before the pigtailed boy hit the ground, two of those demons were upon him.  
  
"RANMA! NO!" Kasumi screamed, banging on the glass as Ranma succumbed to his attack. Nabiki was staring numbly into the distance, where she saw her father kneeling over the body of her sister, even from the distance Nabiki though Akane looked peaceful. She gave no emotional outburst as another one of the flying creatures came upon him.  
  
"THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!" Both girls heard Mousse cry over the comm. system monitoring the outside. He was using the most deadly of his weaponry, much of it explosive. Cologne gave no reply, as her face was set in concentration. All her knowledge of 3000 years of Amazon history was being put to trial, despite the fact she knew this would be a losing battle. Even if by sheer luck they managed to defeat the army of aliens that were currently plaguing them, there were assuredly more in Nerima, in Tokyo, in Japan, perhaps the world. With the realization, Cologne faltered. Mousse was not too far behind her, as his attacks had only served to extensively irritate them and keep them slightly at bay.  
  
Both girls turned to look at the entry hatch at top open up again, revealing Happosai at it's opening holding a chest three times larger than himself. The ancient martial artist dropped it into the ship, but was immediately attacked by one of the multitudes of creatures in the area. Both Kasumi and Nabiki noted that it didn't hold the diminutive martial artist in its clutches, but a slew of Happosai's bombs. The hatch closed before the explosion happened.  
  
Though a moment later, Happosai's body flopped over the front of the view window.  
  
Only one final combatant remained, the armored fighter. It used an advanced artillery that went beyond anything Nabiki could even comprehend. The liquid blue plasma beam it fired would score almost through a creature, and then approximately five of the miniature rockets it fired would shatter it beyond recovery. As fast and as frantic as it worked, there were well too many of them. Eventually, the last fighter would fall along with all the others the two girls had known.  
  
Suddenly, the armored warrior's body seemed to perk up, as if it just heard something, and then looked towards the sky. It took off its helmet, and looked towards the viewing window of the ship. Nabiki looked upon passively, as Kasumi gasped at the sad green eyes on the blond haired woman. The woman in the armor tapped on her wrist a few times, and when she was finished, the space ship they were in began to make a peculiar sound. As the girls felt it start to rise, the woman stood and watched them depart as she was piled upon by the onslaught of creatures.  
  
When they reached the cold of space, Nabiki continued to look towards the window, as Kasumi turned away and cried. The now youngest Tendou witnessed the massive galactic beam slam into the earth, destroying it forever.  
  
As Kasumi continued to cry, Nabiki looked down, seeing a display monitor flash messages in various languages. Finally, one of them was in Japanese, "If this is your capable language, please press the flashing green button. Nabiki emotionlessly did as it commanded.  
  
"[This message was deciphered by the onboard systems after compiling a database of the major languages of your native planet. If you are hearing this, that means I had an unsuccessful mission which most likely caused me, and possibly you, dearly.]"  
  
Nabiki sat down on the apparent chair that was in front of the monitor in which a recording of a woman's voice recited itself.  
  
"[As that indeed would most likely be the case, I feel obligated to recount the events which possibly lead up to my demise. I am by trade, a Space Hunter; a bounty hunter, if you will, and one of the best and known in many galaxies. I was hired once word had gotten out of an organization of space pirates began to inhabit the planet SR-388...]"  
  
And thus, began the computer's tale of the Space Hunter known as Samus Aran.  
___________________________________  
  
  
Planet TT-843, the present...  
  
The yellowed armored Space Hunter summersaulted onto the plateu, and surveyed the area. Not too far in the distance, its eye focused through the almost void-like darkness which was occationally alighted by the almost blinding electrical storm that barraged the slightly vegitated rocky area, and caught sight of what it was looking for, and ran after its prey. In its reinstatement by the Galactic Federation after believing to be deceased, the mysterious Hunter never failed in a mission, just as prior to the Planet GV-4 incident. The scaly beetle-like bipedal being knew of this, and didn't put faith in its possibility to escape. Nonetheless, it would try.  
  
The prey climbed the corrosive rain-slicked hillside; just beyond it was a safe passage teleporter it had set up for one use only in case of such a situation. Just over the hill. A stream of light flashed by it, instantly followed by the sound of energy parting matter to reduce friction to enable something to exceed its usual speed.  
  
The Space Pirate arrived at its teleporter just in time to see his armored pursuer fire a beam into it, destroying it.  
  
"Alid of the Space Pirate sect of the TT sector, you are under custody of the Galactic Federation," a synthesized voice stated coldly towards its bounty. In defiance, Alid pulled out two ionic synchs, ready to lob them after it's enemy. It would not go down easy, no matter what the Space Hunter's reputation was.  
  
Before it could blink it's third inner-eyelid, the Space Pirate was sent careening backwards into the ground, and plowed a deep furrow of twenty feet. Alid struggled, but then gave into unconsciousness.  
  
"Suspect has been detained," the Space Hunter's decrypted voice stated factually casually.  
  
"Good, I'll alert the council Civil Regulation Squadron immediately."  
  
"I will be back to the ship then, Nabiki. Prepare to depart in a half hour," the bounty hunter replied it's native Japanese. Kasumi shut off communications, and then strode over to the fallen body of the Space Pirate.  
_____________________  
  
Ranma  
Metroid  
  
'Ill Gain' 


	2. Part 1 'Reflections'

Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
  
  
  
Nabiki stared dispassionately out into space, as the stellar vessel ferried them to their destination. It said that if you look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you; if this were true, it would be looking into a pit that had been burrowed so deep that emotion had drained away. It was the way youngest human being left learned to cope with the fact that she was one of the two left of her species. They no longer even had a home planet to call their own, choosing the only option they felt themselves to have.  
  
Kasumi worked feverishly through the katas of all three of the Anything Goes schools, finding it to be a focus that narrows the perspective from everything else. From her specie's genocide, her sister's emotional void, the filth and pestilence of the universe that she regularly dealt with, every metaphysical scar she received since that day seven years ago. She pulled her focus tighter, willing herself not to let her mind drift from the road to perfection. Ironic that she reached a level that even surpassed Ran... that would have made her the most powerful fighter of the discipline, but not from a need to better herself.   
  
It was her escape during the day, until the time for slumber came, in which she would cry herself to sleep in her sister's almost mechanical embrace. Every 'night' would be the same, Kasumi would seek comfort, and Nabiki would offer it as best she could for strictly productive reasons. The youngest knew intellectually that her sister needed it to cope; it was the vent that was thrown open to her soul, which relinquished an infinite reservoir of anguish. Kasumi needed to vent, or the pressure would build until it crushed her soul. Nabiki knew it was best for her sister to keep hers, as she had lost hers long ago.  
  
Kasumi moved from technique to position to posture to stance, and would continue to do so until she collapsed, barely able to make any other motions for lack of energy. This would then be followed by her sister carrying her to the revitalizing bed. Nabiki knew Kasumi did this purposely; once she would heal, she maintained the level she had reached from her overexerting training, and she remained unconscious through out the ordeal. Of course, Nabiki would put in her token protest.  
  
"You shouldn't exert yourself as you are." She expected no answer, as always. It wasn't that Kasumi ignored her; it was that she was too far lost in the arts that she was learning from the scrolls and documents that Happosai had left in the chest. How the ancient master would be pleased, that his school lived well beyond even the planet Earth itself.  
  
The older woman's dedication did not come without its benefits, greatly coming in valuable as she usurped the role of 'Samus-sensei', the original Metroid slayer. It had surprised all when after five years disappearance after the GV-4 catastrophe, 'Samus' Returned. Her first bounty that marked her return to action raised eyebrows, since it wasn't of the famous Space Hunter's usual wont; it was extremely amateurish, and exceedingly clumsy at that. She had managed to succeed in the mission, but it left many with doubts of her current level; had the great Samus Aran fallen from her edge?  
  
After several more missions, all concerns were proved moot, as Samus once again rose to the primary spot on the Space Hunter roster. The original concerns became replaced with newer ones, as Samus seemed colder, harsher, and more dedicated than ever before, dedicated beyond natural zealousness. The Galactic Federation had to step in and advise her to quell her obsessive crusade, as it began to stir the Space Pirates of the universe into more aggressive and bolder actions; beating the hornet's nest, as it were. She remained relentless, though the number of assignments she took decreased.  
  
Kasumi and Nabiki now only took enough assignment to keep themselves busy, since neither of them cared to explain that the original Samus Aran was deceased, and that they were now her 'soul heirs' to her legacy. Both women came to know their spiritual mentor, even though not having truly met her long enough in person. She was dedicated, she was tenacious, she made sure that a task would be done, regardless of the obstacle, most of all, she was lonely.  
  
The original Samus traveled alone, worked alone. She had no partners that she would willingly allow to endanger themselves with her; in that she was compassionate. For this reason also, both the Tendou women vowed that she would live on, as long as there was breath in their bodies.  
  
Nabiki did not even look back, as she heard her sister's body slump to the ground, like a building that had it's supports abruptly removed. Giving one last look to the coordinates monitor, Nabiki walked back to her barely conscious sister, and pulled her up by her waist to drag her from the spacious chamber to the revitalizing bed, as was her routine. Once her sister was secure, she turned back to the control chamber of the vessel, never looking back.  
  
Nabiki sat herself down in front of the control setup, and resumed staring into the eternity, and a few minutes after, she had been hailed.  
  
"[Space Hunter designate 'SA'.]" Nabiki sounded almost bored when she replied.  
  
"This is designate SA." she replied in the universal language of the Galactic Federation. The communication was audio only, and voice pitch and tone scrambled, as Samus originally always kept it. It made things convenient for the two women who took her place, since fewer questions were asked.  
  
"[I presume your hunt for Alid came out as expected?]" the rather jovial voice at the other end enquired.  
  
"Alid held no reason for concern, and he is still alive. You could have sent standard CCRS operatives to handle this without having to be subjected to our fee."  
  
"[Good, because it is important that we receive him as such.]"  
  
"Understood," Nabiki was about to cut communications without acknowledgement, finding that there would be nothing more to say in her observation, when she was proven wrong.  
  
"[It's also important that you are here as well.]"  
  
"And why is that?" Nabiki's voice held a tone that could be interpreted as concern.  
  
"[Because, we have valuable and reliable information that leads us to believe we'll require your expertise again.]"  
  
"I see. And why would this require me?"  
  
"[It isn't anything we can confirm until we receive Alid's confirmation, so it is probably best that I do not divulge you the reason immediately.]"  
  
"I am beginning to form the assumption that we are not particularly required at all."  
  
"Hmm? I don't..."  
  
"Good day," Nabiki's finger started to descend on the cut off button.  
  
"[Mother Brain is still alive.]"  
____________________________________  
  
Kasumi stood poised in the waiting lounge. The hunter in her red and gold armor kept her arms folded in dis-concern, giving off the impression of professional confidence. Her emotions belayed her appearance; she was extremely unnerved.   
  
Mother Brain may still be alive.  
  
From Samus-sensei's accountings, the leader of the space pirates that she encountered was to be her most trialsome opponent before... before everything happened. Beyond the deceased Space Hunter's word, records of Mother Brain and its organization's crimes were well known. The one that stood out in Kasumi's mind, the one that concerned deeply anyone who would know it, was of the Metroids.  
  
Creatures Mother Brain intended to use as biological weapons, powerful and hungry creatures that devoured any bio-energy from its victims until it left a withered husk. They were difficult to kill by conventional methods, and too dangerous to let live. Worse is that they could mutate into a far greater menace if left to their own devices, as Samus's second encounter with the metroids had proven.  
  
It was finally believed that they were completely wiped out by the Space Hunter's third encounter with them, the destruction of SR-388 left nothing living in its wake except for a narrowly escaping Samus Aran. Mother Brain and the surviving space pirates perished when the planet blew up. There was not a trace of stellar vessel other than Samus's own that had escaped according to the thorough monitors of the Galactic Federation. She was the only survivor  
  
The Universe once again was thought to be at peace.  
  
That was proven deadly wrong at GV-4, formerly planet Earth.  
  
Kasumi remembered looking into Samus's eyes, remembered the look of resignation on her face, and the pleading gaze that told her to remember what had happened and remember her and her sacrifice. The woman gave herself in order for someone to survive the destruction that shortly followed.  
  
No one ever found out who was it that relinquished the metroids onto Kasumi and Nabiki's home planet, but they spread too quickly to salvage Earth. For the sake of the whole universe, the Federation made the harsh and soul-weighing decision to eradicate the metroid-infested planet.   
  
The asteroid grave that was left behind of the once beautiful planet was thoroughly searched, though it was of obvious consensus that nothing could have survived. Any and all ships entering and leaving beyond the asteroid belt of the solar system would be scanned for any possible genetic matching to the metroid, and dealt with in the harshest manner, while those that held any suspicion would be boarded with expected endangerment. The Space Hunter's craft was the only one that left, and it only scanned for Samus's original terrestrial race.  
  
Mother Brain may still be alive, and if this were true...  
  
The Space Hunter looked up when the doors to the lounge opened, and she was beckoned to join the council to be informed of their discoverings. 


	3. Part 2; 'Preparations'

Ranma/ Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
Part 2  
'Preparations'  
  
  
  
Kasumi was strangely more quiet than usual, which only stimulated an intellectual curiosity in Nabiki, "Something on your mind?"  
  
Kasumi knew that Nabiki didn't actually care, but it was comforting to have her enquire of her older sister every once in a while, "I don't know if we can handle this one, this time."  
  
"It's not my place to say if you can handle the work yourself or not," Nabiki replied, while keying in the preparation for their evening meal into the replication system.  
  
Kasumi frowned at the way her sister pointedly factored all the work away from herself. Kasumi knew that she could not do it without Nabiki, "You know? We still have that 'fish' from the regions in storage I can prepare."  
  
"This will be fine, thank you. And I would advise you save it for another time for economic reasons." Even emotionless, she still was extremely frugal.  
  
The older woman sighed before starting again, "Mother Brain had almost defeated Samus-sensei twice. We... I lack the experience she had, and she will assuredly be more prepared for 'Samus' this time."  
  
"That is a reasonable assumption," Nabiki replied, not looking up from the star grid, "We are also not sure if Mother Brain survived. It's just been confirmed that her fleet of Space Pirates is in heavy activity."  
  
"That alone should be a heavy concern," Kasumi turned to look at the battle suit. It was Samus's secondary, in case the first one had suffered too much damage to be of use. It served the Tendou women well in their assignments, though Kasumi was the only one to wear it, "Someone had to be powerful enough to pull them all back into working together on whatever they are working on."  
  
"I can only say to much to alleviate you," Nabiki stated almost monotonously, while handing her sister the container of 'food'.  
  
Kasumi took the nourishment, "I'm not looking for sympathy, it's just good to take a full assessment of what a situation can be, and anticipating the worst."  
  
"That line of thinking is what keeps you alive," Nabiki took a scoop of her meal as she looked at her sister.  
  
Kasumi scooped into her own dish, and grimaced slightly at the taste, she wished she had cooked before Nabiki decided what they were going to dine on, "Anyhow, the planet SS-42 is very similar to SR-388. It's probably that reason and it's close proximity to their previous headquarters that they now have it as their base of operations."  
  
"I would presume they'd be as deeply entrenched as Samus-sensei found them the previous time. That would make our task difficult. Are you aware of the conditions of the environment?"  
  
Kasumi shook her head, "They said that it there isn't too much difference from SR-388, it once held it's own civilization until a global plague had wiped out the population, according to research. The atmosphere contains massive amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen compared to the relatively small portion of pure oxygen, as well as the standard atmospheric gasses."  
  
"Hmm, volcanic activity I presume, along with an atmosphere similar to GV-4's. It may even have a similar weather climate. what else did they say?"  
  
"The planet itself is majority of a highly densified though fragile enough mineral to burrow through. That would support your theory of them creating a possible sub-surface base. The creatures are supposedly hostile, and because of the environmental hazards, extremely durable." Kasumi forced herself to stomach more of the sub-edible meal.  
  
"Why hasn't anyone been sent to investigate further? It would be helpful if we had our suspicions validated."  
  
"I know, they said that there was not enough time."  
  
"I see, they are afraid, and want this potential threat neutralized quickly." Nabiki paused in her meal, something nagging at her, "That is not the largest concern on your mind, is it?"  
  
"No," Kasumi's eyes hardened, "They were the ones who originally intended to use the metroids as biological weapons."  
  
"And you presume they were the ones that set them loose upon GV-4?"  
  
"Who else could have set them on *Earth*?" Kasumi almost wanted to shout at her sister's cold indifference to their own deceased home planet.  
  
"I don't see that possible. They were too unorganized at the time, and I doubt any of them survived the destruction of SR-388." Nabiki finished her food, and set her dish in the slide drawer for deposit and cleaning. She then turned back to her sister to continue her theory, "I would assume that it was possibly that some one had secured their own storage of metroids from sometime prior to the destruction of SR-388, possibly someone that Mother Brain's space pirates were in league with."  
  
"A second party involved?" Kasumi mused, "That would make this situation much more complicated."  
  
"That it would. Though it has its own discrediting. Mother Brain insisted on working alone, according to her dossier. It wanted to rule strictly of its own."  
  
Kasumi nodded, finished up her own meal, and deposited her container in the same place as Nabiki, "I'm too stressed to continue this right now. It's a little more than a day until we reach our destination, so we have plenty of time to discuss this later. I'm going to take a bath now."  
  
Nabiki nodded, and turned back to the control deck, even though it was in automated mode and did not require her observation. Kasumi walked into one of the back chambers.  
__________________________________________  
  
"[You have situated yourselves into SS-42?]"  
  
"Yes, it is very suitable for us, and the relative ease of inhabiting will allow us to continue our task that much sooner."  
  
"[That is good to hear. You know that Alid had been captured?]"  
  
"What does that fool have to do with us?"  
  
"[He had information concerning you, though it was limited at best. He *is* one of the primary contacts corresponding to anything in the area that involves... questionable activities.]"  
  
"Then it is inconsequential."  
  
"[I would not presume so. The Galactic Federation is paranoid of you. They want to ensure that the metroid species is eradicated. They will send someone to investigate.]"  
  
"Let whatever idiot they send arrive, they will not leave this planet's surface, assuming they discover a way to enter the sub-surface."  
  
"[Your overconfidence was the downfall of your organization several times already. You'll forgive me if I'm not impressed by your lack of concern.]"  
  
"We will not underestimate our foes this time. You have our word on that."  
  
"[Of course, you say. What if it is the renowned Space Hunter that managed to topple you time and time again?]"  
  
"..."  
  
"[I see. That brings much concern to me, and whether or not my support should continue.]"  
  
"Heh, heh heh, heh heh heh hehhhhhh."  
  
"[You find this funny?]" The voice over the communications line sounded slightly irritated.  
  
"I am more than positive they would send that Space Hunter. It would be the Galactic Federation's first and primary hope."  
  
"So you have precautions against it?"  
  
"*Especially* against that particular Space Hunter."  
  
"[I feel somewhat at ease. What else do you have to report?]"  
  
"Not much more. We are isolated enough as to not draw much more suspicion."  
  
"[Then I will trouble you no more at this time.]"  
__________________________________________  
  
Nabiki stared out into the nothingness, as her sister went through her rigorous strength building exercises. Nabiki knew Kasumi would attempt to work herself even more intensely, though the younger sister did not think it was possible to work any harder than past a person's usual level of overexertion. Kasumi would work push herself until she could not go any further, earning her another trip to the revitalization bed. Just to occupy herself, Nabiki hypothesized that there may have been addictive properties to Kasumi's routine. She could not say if they were harmless or unhealthy, but didn't think much of it, since the older woman never seemed to suffer ill effects.  
  
Nabiki looked over her sister's muscular and lithe body. Kasumi worked hard to reach her peak, not because of vanity, but for strictly productive reasons, as she claimed. Moving in the battle armor was much more efficient, Kasumi noted, and the extra strength was also enhanced by the suit. Nabiki didn't buy it for a second. They were only products of the intensive workouts, not the reasons.  
  
She did it so she would have to talk with Nabiki as little as possible, not that Nabiki could bring herself to care. Even before the destruction of GV-4, Kasumi threw herself into her assigned tasks, completing them to the utmost perfection. When Nabiki was able to feel concern, she considered Kasumi's air of obliviousness unhealthy, even going as far to believe that Kasumi is autistic. Now she realizes that her sister was just focused, and hardly allowed anything to divide her from her mindset.  
  
Kasumi held a dedication that rivaled Ranma's. Now with there only being so much in the way of distractions, Kasumi lost a lot of her aloofness, seeming much more human than mechanical as she did before. The older woman now would attempt to engage Nabiki in conversation more often, despite knowing it would be a slightly wasted effort, as her younger sister would only say what she had to for nothing more than appeasement. It was a shame that Kasumi opened up, but not until after the world was lost. Maybe it wasn't even the lack of potential distractions that brought out Kasumi's more social side, but it would be a sincere shame if it were because maturation that came with age.  
  
Kasumi flat on her stomach, only the utilitarian sports bra and underwear she wore protected her body from its cold surface. She rolled into a handstand, and curled her body until her toes almost touched the back of her head, and began to channel the flows of her chi. Once she felt the expected result, she bent forward more, allowing her feet to touch the floor, and then raised her torso out of the backbend with an Olympian's grace and control. She then stood in a relaxed horse stance with her hands cupped as if holding a ball in front of her. She felt her ki welling up into the imaginary sphere in her hands, before raising her hands above her head, and then slowly lowering them until the sphere entered the top of her head.  
  
Her hands traveled slowly down her body until they reached her stomach level, then she suddenly burst into a rigorous kata of her creation that involved the philosophies of the three branches of Anything Goes. Nabiki would only notice a blur when she used to watch her sister, but now Kasumi was a mist, a haze of motion. Like a ghost that was barely opaque.  
  
Four hours time, Kasumi collapsed. Nabiki went to her task of dragging her sister to the revitalization bed, and idly noted that her sister had managed to exceed her usual time frame of lasting at that intense level.  
  
She laid the older woman on the bed, and started to walk off.  
  
"No, please stay."  
  
Nabiki obeyed her sister's request, knowing what would come next, "I don't need to be anywhere else at the moment."  
  
"This... this may be the worst we've ever faced," Kasumi replied in a quiet and tired voice, laced with an emotion that Kasumi had rarely shown, not since five years ago to her recollection.  
  
"You'll have to work harder to succeed this time."  
  
Kasumi's head rolled in her sister's lap, "Nabiki?"  
  
"..."  
  
"I'm scared."  
  
Nabiki replied in a sterile voice, "I know." 


	4. Part 3; 'Planet SS-42

Ranma/ Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
Part 4  
  
  
The charcoal black clouds were pierced by a golden craft descending towards the rocky and slightly foliaged surface. The sounds of their propulsion systems only slightly drowned out by the thundering skies and the pounding intense rain. The landscape below it as well as the sky it descended from was reminiscent of a newborn planet, just starting in the throes of life. The loud crashes were by part caused not only by the generation of static electricity between the clouds and the earth, but also the booming eruptions of active volcanoes that littered the planet like pox..  
  
The vessel hovered a few feet above the ground as if it were stabilized on a solid surface. The sparse vegetation under it gave way in a circle to display its submission to the force that kept the golden ship afloat. The engines wound down quietly to whispers, and several lights on the outside of its hull flashed on dimly.  
  
"I haven't been able to find an opening into the surface yet, but I suggest you head east from here, that area seems to contain an elaborate tunnel system subsurface." Nabiki said, studying a sub-field mapping of the planet's surface where they were docked.  
  
Kasumi nodded, and put on the red helmet to complete her battle armor, taking a deep breath as it descended upon her head, "Any signs of life in a twenty kilometer radius?"  
  
"None but simple life forms and vegetation. I'd presume that most of the wildlife may fear this area, or something drove them off."  
  
"Of course, the Space Pirates."  
  
"Possible."  
  
"Is there any possible way our arrival was detected? Could they be ready for us?"  
  
"I don't believe so, the chaotic atmosphere of this planet made it near impossible for us to get a reading of its surface. I doubt anything would have been able to detect us from this side either until we entered the stratosphere. If they did find us after then, they would not have much time to ready for us."  
  
"Unless they were expecting us."  
  
"A precaution I would take, myself."  
  
The armored woman walked to directly under the exit hatch, and stood at ready, "Then I guess it's time." Nabiki didn't reply, just watched as a green circle of light formed under her sister, and lifted her to the slowly opening hatch.  
  
Kasumi looked around at the plain they landed at, turning around at the sound of a volcano in the far distance bellowing forth with it's might. She jumped from the top of the space vessel, and landed as softly on the ground as she could manage.  
  
"Heading east," Kasumi said into her comm. unit, before beginning to run at standard speed. Slowly she picked up velocity, and then suddenly her image began to appear to stretch as it reached exceptional speeds. After but a few seconds, she arrived at the base a massive though decaying temple that was carved into the side of a mountain. Upon closer inspection, the Space Hunter found traces of unusual technology riddled through out the rock.  
  
"The former inhabitants apparently were high advanced technological wise, but held their religion in high esteem."  
  
"[That is interesting to now,]" Nabiki's voice answered.  
  
Kasumi searched along the temple front for the entrance, and happened upon a blue dome that jutted out from the wall. She put her hand on it and the tactile relays of her gauntlet relayed its smooth texture back to its bearer, "I think I found an entrance, it's a smooth royal blue dome."  
  
"[That sounds familiar, hold on.]" Kasumi waited a few moments for her sister to respond, "[These are similar to the doors on Zebes, you only need to blast this one with your standard shot to access it.]"  
  
Kasumi stood back a few paces, and raised her right arm. A red plasma beam fired from it and connected with the door. The blue surface flashed white when the energized gas of the plasma shot came in contact with it, and melted away to allow entry. The Space Hunter stepped into the unknown.  
____________________________________  
  
The armored woman glanced around at the large room with seemingly no furniture. Skeletons of which Kasumi had never seen before littered the room like broken rubble, white refuge on the bluish gray floor. She stepped around the dead, not wanting to disturb their final resting, when her foot landed on a square that silently lit up upon its connection. She gasped and pulled her foot away, as the square warped up into a rounded and organic looking box form. Upon this discovery, Kasumi looked about the temple, to discover several squares lined up in rows and columns. Most of them were occupied by piles of bones.  
  
"Must be some sort of seating," Kasumi presumed, "Nabiki, I activated something by stepping on it, I don't think it was pressure sensitive. Is this something I should worry about?"  
  
"[I can't give you any certain info on that, just practice caution. If it's any condolence, they would already know we're here when you activated that doorway.]"  
  
"That's nice," Kasumi replied sarcastic sweetness, and found her way to what seemed like a walkway between the squares, and warily jogged to the back. Her footsteps crumpling the fragile debris that was under it upon it's decent. Tiny life forms, insects of the planet, scattered to safety at the sound of disturbance after so long of peace.  
  
She made her way to the back, and found another blue doorway, and opened it. Beyond it lay a vertical descending tunnel. "I found a entrance to the sub-surface," Kasumi reported, noting the way the technologically lined floor broke too abruptly meant that this was not an originally intended tunnel by the original architects of the temple. Kasumi looked down to see platforms she could use to descend the chasm cautiously to explore, and jumped down to the first one.  
  
It was dark, with no sign of life around. The bones that littered the rest of the temple were absent from what she could see, that confirmed a bit more that the original planetary inhabitants had nothing to do with the new addition. In fact, it seemed almost meticulously new. The Space Pirates had worked fast to set up shop, albeit now it seemed they had abandoned it for some reason. More than likely it was to lure any wayward wanderers into a false sense of security.  
  
When it was apparent that no one was around, she jumped down to the next platform, and then another one after that, landing as slightly as she possibly could. Despite the darkness that she could only see with her enhanced vision, and the seeming undetection, Kasumi felt as if she was being watched. She would turn at the slightest sounds, usually the draft within the chasm.  
  
On one ledge, she came to a gray door, "Nabiki, what should I use on the gray doors?"  
  
"[They regenerate much too quickly with any blast, you'll need to find the trigger that will allow them to be accessed.]" Nabiki's emotionless voice replied factually.  
  
"Understood, I see another blue door on the ground a few more meters down."   
  
The Hunter descended to the bottom of the chasm, and before opening the blue door, she spotted the deep violet door off to the side, "There's a violet door."  
  
"[I have no information on that. Have you tried shooting it?]" Kasumi bit back a snotty remark, and decided to test the other entrance. She fired her plasma shot at the door, and watched it almost instantly crumble and then rebuild itself faster than any standard sight could catch. She braced herself a bit more firmly, and the front barrel of her gun opened up into three pieces so that a larger object could eject itself.  
  
An empty rocket shell was instantaneously constructed in the barrel, with the pieces sliding from the three segments of the front of the gun, and then filled with a volatile energy. Once the rocket was constructed, it launched with a small roar, and crashed into the violet dome. It collapsed, and immediately rebuilt itself.  
  
"It's impervious to both my shots and my rockets."  
  
"[It could possibly take more than a few shots to access them, but I would say explore the other option first before wasting ammunition.]"  
  
"Okay." Kasumi turned to the blue door on the ground, and shot it so that she could enter it. It melted away and allowed her passage to a horizontal corridor. At each end were two bestial statues; one that looked like an armored alligator with a short snout with fins sticking out the side of it's mouth and a barbed tail while in its mouth it held some sort of spherical object, the other one like a centaur of Earthen mythology, except the torso connected at the front and not the top. Its head also looked like a cone with eyes running down the sides that got smaller the closer it got to the tip. It had no mouth she could see. Both statues were interlaced with the same technology she had seen since arriving at the temple.  
  
"Unusual looking creatures, I wonder if this was one of the planet's own species, or a mythical being of their religion." When she received no answer, she walked up to the first statue, heeding of any danger, and got a closer look of its treasure. The sphere was glowing with a dull white light which a light blue chemical swirl of it's own power, the distinct technology slightly marring it's beauty. Through it's slight opacity, she could see an object contained within.  
  
"This may be helpful," Kasumi said out loud for Nabiki to catch.  
  
"[That is probably a trap,]" Nabiki said rather idly. Kasumi turned to look at the door in the ceiling, it was still blue.  
  
"I can easily make a quick escape if it is." She reached her left hand into the sphere, and pulled out the block of technology slightly smaller and longer than her fist. She utilized her own armor's system to analyze the object, and was surprised at the discovery.  
  
"It's some sort of bio-aura focuser, I can possibly use this to enhance my own weaponry."  
  
"[Then I would propose you do so.]" Kasumi new better, but couldn't help but feel like her sister was being rather uppity. A hatch on the top of her gun opened, and she stuck the object of discussion into it lengthwise halfway. The suit quickly began to assimilate it, making it a part of its artillery. Kasumi smirked to herself, as she turned and fired at the other statue. A purple tinted beam fired from it, and bounced off the centaur harmlessly. She made a sour face at its seeming ineffectiveness, and the slight tug she felt it have on her ki. It would probably be best if she were to deactivate it for the time being until she became more accustomed to the new addition.  
  
She ran to the blue hatch and aimed to fire at it, when it turned gray.  
  
"What?" She quickly turned to the statue she had just come away from, to see its stone shell being shucked like a chick's egg. At the other end, the Centaur creature tilted its head up and shouted in a high-pitched scream that was more devastating than any roar the Space Hunter had encountered.  
  
"Oh my..." 


	5. Part 4; 'The Current Master of Anything ...

Ranma/ Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
  
  
  
Nabiki sat reclined in her seat; she had warned her sister that it was probably a trap. At least Kasumi retrieved something that could possibly be useful. The younger woman looked out onto the dark planet, with the rain pummeling heavily onto the view window. She had little concern for the situation at hand.  
_____________________________________________  
The two creatures stalked towards the Space Hunter from each end of the hall. The alligator type creature was the closest, causing Kasumi to back up a bit and stand defensively on her back leg. Once the beast was in range, it lashed out with it's barbed tail.  
  
The Space Hunter vanished.  
_____________________________________________  
  
Several mantis-like creatures watching a display blinked in unison.  
_____________________________________________  
  
Kasumi twirled upside down over the centaur-beast and landed behind it. She fired her plasma cannon at its back as an opening volley to test its durability. The creature shrugged off the blast in irritation, and turned around to its source. It swung its massive arm at its target, causing the arm to elongate as if it were rubber. She jumped back out of the way, and converted to her rockets.  
  
The damage this time seemed a little significant, but caused the creature to start aggressing on her faster. Kasumi rushed towards it, and dove between its legs. She rolled into a ball and left a couple of spherical objects by the Centaur's feet.  
  
The beast collapsed onto one side as the explosions went off, and struggled to get back to its feet. The Space Hunter leapt from her roll, somersaulting once in a long drawn out flip in the air, towards the other creature.  
  
While she was in the air, she fired two rockets, one at its head, and the other at its tail. The barbed appendage reeled back, and the head screamed as the rocket collided with it. Kasumi landed on it's back, and leapt away as soon as a double ax handed blow from the centaur slammed down onto it.  
  
The alligator-like creature wailed again as it buckled under the blow from the other beast; its heavy armored shell getting cracked heavily by its partner's strength. Kasumi landed against the wall with her feet and left hand braced against it, she slid down it, and fired another shot at the centaur. The rocket connected with it's coned nose, causing it to flinch in agony to the side.  
  
It retaliated by swinging its massive stretching arm at her again, and Kasumi hopped over it, hiking her knees to her chest to avoid the attack. She then turned around and stuck her index finger of her left hand out to intercept the barbed tail bearing down on her, and completely arrested it's motion. She brought her cannon under her left armpit, and fired another rocket at the head of the centaur, and then one at the head of the alligator-beast.  
  
The centaur rose up on its hind legs, bellowing in fury, while the other creature shrugged off the blow and growled in irritation. It turned and fired a barrage of greenish sphere of energy at her, and the Space Hunter quickly switched to her standard plasma gun and intercepted each one with a shot. Kasumi raised an eyebrow when she noted the energy signature of the two attack's collisions formed the unstable energy she used for her rockets.  
  
Kasumi jumped away, without even turning around, from the two fists of the centaur's that crashed into where she had just been standing. She collected the useful energy, and once again landed on the back of the alligator creature, and noted the heavy crack in its shell. Before she could do anything about it, the Space Hunter tilted heavily to her left side, to avoid a barbed tail taking off her head. Kasumi put the opening of her cannon right against it's tail at a carefully considered angle, and fired rapidly in retaliation. The alligator screeched in pain, as it flailed its tail away, and connected it's barbed end with the head of its partner, causing it to stagger into the hall wall.  
  
Once she had a clear opening, Kasumi kneeled on the creature's back, and raised her left fist. It glowed lightly with her ki when she began to focus, as her father had shown Kasumi when she was young, as she rammed it into the fissure in the creature's armor.  
  
It bucked violently at the pain, throwing Kasumi off and forcing her to roll away in a ball. She just barely came out of the sphere and leapt to the side before a massive foot of the centaur crashed into her. The Space Hunter switched to her rockets, and fired at the base of its foot. Once again it roared in pain, but did not collapse, instead managing to swing its arm at her again, and succeeding in connecting with its enemy.  
  
Kasumi gritted her teeth, as she was sent flying into a wall. She slumped down it a bit, and then leapt away as the centaur's fist crashed into it. The Space Hunter circled around, firing at its head, causing the centaur to flail around in agony. Once it was too preoccupied with its pain, she returned to tend to the second creature. Kasumi was airborne again, and the creature attempted to take advantage of it by firing another of green projectiles at its current nemesis.  
  
Kasumi dodged and weaved in the air, as was one of the skills she gained from the Saotome School, and landed for a third time on it's back. Mercilessly, the Space Hunter rammed her cannon's head into the opening crack of the creature that covered it's soft under hide, and went ballistic with her rockets.  
  
This time she wasn't thrown off by the beast's bucking, and kept firing relentlessly, until she heard a rocket explode into the ground below them.  
  
She jumped away, as it collapsed to the floor, defeated, and turned her full attention to the final enemy.  
  
The centaur's chest opened up, revealing several organic pods. Each pod launched itself at her, and Kasumi went to evade by darting through them. The Space Hunter gritted her teeth when she noticed they had tails on them that was allowing the pods to maneuver and track her. She turned around and away from the centaur to deal with its projectiles, firing her plasma shots and causing a few of them to disintegrate. She leaped straight up over the centaur's swipe, and turned upside down.  
  
Her feet braced against the ceiling, as she fired down at her remaining small pursuers, and then dropped down before the centaur slammed its fist against where she had been. Kasumi landed on her feet, and jumped back, idly collecting the rocket energy to replenish her slightly depleted stock. She noted that its head was cracked severely, and likely to shatter with a good enough impact. She also noted that it was heavily favoring its head, so a good clean shot would not be likely.  
  
It's chest opened up again, and she saw the pulsing pods ready to launch at her again, and utilized her short light speed dash technique of the Anything Goes Grandmaster School. She rolled into a ball that allowed her to skim under the flying pods, and came to kneeling right under the centaur.  
  
A heavy swirl of wind began under it, and built quickly to a tornado's fury that launched the creature to the ceiling hastefully. The centaur's head crashed into the roof of the hall, shattering its armored head, and then crushing it utterly.  
  
It's limp body crashed to the ground beside Kasumi, who was still kneeling in position from utilizing Master Happosai's Bean jam Blowout. Her gun mechanically reconstructed itself over her right hand; the parts of it sliding down like a jigsaw puzzle being slid into place, and he stood up. She leapt and collected the ambient safety reserve energy and rocket energy that was left behind, replenishing her system's function energy and rocket stock.  
  
"Don't even bother with saying 'I told you so'," Kasumi stated into her comm. unit."  
  
"[I wasn't.]" Nabiki replied plainly.  
  
"You can at least pretend you were going to be snooty about it," Kasumi said in exasperation. She turned towards the exit, and found it once again blue. She turned her gun towards it to fire, and then paused as it flickered back to gray. The Space Hunter quickly shifted around to find the centaur with its head still flattened, staggering back to its feet.  
  
Kasumi backed up slowly, as it then made a last attempt at her by charging down the hall towards her. The Space Hunter deftly dodged to the side, and watched as it crashed into the far end, and through the wall. Kasumi ignored the door flashing back to blue when she saw the hidden room. In it was a pedestal that held what she knew was a rocket upgrade.  
  
"I've added five more to my rocket stock, total at 105," Kasumi reported, and went back to exit the battleground.  
  
She was back in the chasm and now facing the violet door. Her nose wrinkled in concertation, and then recalled the weapons upgrade she had just fought for. Activating it, Kasumi fired, and watched the dome melt away to allow her access.  
  
"I think I figured the use of my new artillery addition is."  
  
"[That is good to know.]"  
  
"My, Nabiki, was that a hint of sarcasm?" Kasumi smirked to herself when her younger sister failed to respond.  
  
Kasumi stepped beyond the door, prepared for what was to come next.  
_____________________________________________  
  
"She's different," one Space Pirate stated calmly.  
  
"Yes, she has new attacks that we had not anticipated."  
  
"It is not anything that cannot be dealt with," a third, imposing voice stated arrogantly, "The Federation lackey will be taken care of. No matter what she is capable of. We cannot allow ourselves to fail once again." 


	6. Part 5; 'Open Wounds'

Spellchecker still dead, maat.  
___________________________  
___________________________  
___________________________  
  
Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
  
  
  
Kasumi looked down the shallow incline that registered multiple signs of wildlife. She smiled, and wondered if they were hostile. She started in a jog, and picked up speed to a light run.  
  
The floating pod creatures were the first to notice the intrusion of an alien being, and moved to defend their layer. One of them swooped low, while the second one flew in at mid level. Without skipping a beat, Kasumi leapt into a half gator over both of them, and landed on the other side; sliding down the incline with her right foot foward.  
  
"[That is an unnessesary risk,]" Nabiki stated plainly.  
  
"Just blowing off some steam, sis," Kasumi stated with a teasing voice, not even pay attention as she fired a plasma shot down at the centipede creature that burrowed from the ground and was about to snag onto her ankle.  
  
"[You have other outlets for stress relief,]" Nabiki replied calmly.  
  
"NABIKI! That's private!" Kasumi shouted, ducking out of the way of the flying pod, and shooting it down from the sky.  
  
"[I was referring to your strenuous workouts when we're not on assignment.]"  
  
"It's not *that* strenuous, and you probably do it too!"  
  
"[Get your mind out of the gutter.]"  
  
Kasumi smirked, "Did I get to you, dear sister?" The Space Hunter leapt backwards while spinning into the air, lashing out with a spin kick into an aggressing creature, and landed on a higher ledge. In the distance, she spotted a violet door that lead to another room  
  
"[It was a pointless discussion. Why bother to continue it?]"  
  
"I'm just teasing you, sister," Kasumi pouted when she failed to get a signifigant rise out of her sister again, and leapt into a somersault off the platform she was perched on before hopping creature with flippered feet landed upon it. Kasumi landed in a dash, and fired at the door that was across from her. She entered into a tallllllllll cylindrical rising chasm, in which she was at the bottom with no doors but the one she just came through.  
  
Her eyes narrowed as she noticed what was clinging to the walls, then gave a preditory smile. Space Pirates.  
  
"Oh my, how nice of them to welcome me to their new home planet," the golden armored woman stated in a sweet serene voice that held a mockery that would never have been in it over seven years ago, "I guess I better not dissappoint them."  
  
Kasumi took a running start, and leapt as high as she could against a wall. She planted her feet and left hand against it, then rebounded to the other side, and continued to do so to gain height up the verticle corridor. She utilized a technique that Samus-sensei practiced, but never managed to get the hang of. Thanks to the new Space Hunter's own training in martial arts, she had been able to master the wall bounce to utmost efficiency.  
  
Kasumi met up with resistance from the humanoid mantis creatures; bounding off the walls while drawing beads on her opposers, shooting them down, and dodging their return eyebeams.  
  
"Gain way, coming through," The woman chirped happily, while reducing the Space Pirates to bug juice. She danced around the corridor while ascending it in an aerial battle that even left the mantis creatures in awe of her ability.  
  
"Whoops, didn't see you there! How rude of me to shatter your back with my impacting against you," Kasumi apologised, rebounding off the bug splatter she left behind.  
  
"[The banter is not nessesary.]"  
  
"Really? Excuse me, you're in my way," Kasumi grabbed a Space Pirate off the wall where she would had rebounded off, forced it under her, and pushed off of it with enough force to launch her further into the air, while sending the creature down into the corridor at escape velocity. It made an impressive attempt to spread itself over the whole floor when it's body impacted.  
  
"[Yes, really. You need to be concentrating so you do not make any mistakes.]"  
  
"I don't make mistakes, I just season things up a bit!" Kasumi countered, while twisting away from one beam, then turning upside down past another. Her velocity carried her right to her current attacker, and Kasumi shoved the barrel of her gun directy between its eyes when she landed above it with her feet planted against the wall. Its own strength was holding both of them up from sliding and falling down the corridor.  
  
"Oh, you're so strong!" Kasumi complimented, before firing. the discharge of her cannon launched her up a bit higher, and she pushed herself off the wall at an upward angle. The Space Hunter's armor glistened with the light of the beams that just barely glanced past her, as she was upside down and taking careful aim at two Space Pirates, then finishedthem with little waste.  
  
"[Your commentry is distracting to yourself also, if you learned anything from Ranma mista...]"  
  
A chance laser struck Kasumi in the shoulder, spinning her out of control. Her back bounced off the wall she was about to brace against, and fell a good ways down the corridor, before she kicked against the wall she was against, sending her horizontal.  
  
The Space Hunter rebounded back and fourth like a demented red and gold ping pong ball, and after the twentieth or so rebound, angled herself steeply to launch higher up the corridor. Kasumi caught sight of the space pirate that managed to tag her, fired two plasma shots, and then she opened the rocket bay on her arm cannon.  
  
The creature's arms were shot off, cuasing it to lose it's perch against the nearly smooth wall, and tumble backwards. The rocket made sure that it never had to worry about hitting the bottom, exept in very little pieces.  
  
"Please don't distract me again," Kasumi stated into her comm. unit evenly with a slightly chilly tone. Nabiki gave no reply. Later on, Kasumi would have to wonder if her sister went quiet from chagrin, or from indifference.  
  
From that point, Kasumi became brutally efficient as she climbed the corridor. She eliminated any resistance before they could even see her enough to retaliate. Every shot of the Space Hunter's was planned and calculated, with not a single one wasted. As Kasumi ascended, she managed to avoid the falling bug splatter and the slick stains against the sides of the round corridor's walls. With her sudden attitude change, did the odds of any of the Space Pirates stopping her ascension dwindled to almost none.  
  
The last opposer plummeted into the darkness, it's head shot off from the rest of it's body. Kasumi braced against the wall while facing it with her feet and left hands, then propelled herself backwards into a somersault out onto the ledge at the top of the chasm. She landed sliding backwards while kneeling on her left leg, while cradling her gun with her left hand while the barrel was pointing straight up. She stood slowly, and looked up as she felt the platform underneath her rise to take her up to the next level.  
_________________________________________  
  
"The Hunter's abilities far exeed previous encounters."  
  
"[As had already been established, are you saying you're not up to the task of exterminating it]?"  
  
"It has only encountered a couple of test trials, in which one we were not the ones to set. Though the current gauge of ability for the Hunter is phenominal, it will not survive to make it to the core."  
  
"[It better not. There is too much at stake with one of the bounty hunters disrupting operations. Can I presume you will be complete on schedule?]"  
  
The Space Pirate turned from the moniter for a second.  
  
"The Mother Brain can confirm that everything is as planned."  
_________________________________________  
  
Kasumi walked softly down the technology-lined corridor, once again she was back in an area that was constructed by the original inhabitants of the planet. Only a few scant hostile creatures inhabited it, but they were dealt with expediently.  
  
"[Your plasma shots are notably more powerful.]" Nabiki made an observation, "[ I trust you are adapting to the addition to your arnaments?]"  
  
"How dare you speak of him," Kasumi said quietly with underlying rage. If there was a sore spot for Kasumi, it was an obvious and gaping one that her sister carelessly hit upon.  
  
Nabiki knew exactly what her sister was talking about, "[He's dead.]"  
  
Kasumi let out a slight shiver in anger; her sister's voice was so factual, so callous. If Nabiki was in front of her at the moment, Kasumi would have assuradly slapped her.  
  
"Just... nevermind, just nevermind, I'm at another door," With that, Kasumi fired upon the violet dome, causing it to melt away. The Space Hunter walked in, felt a presence, and looked up,   
...and up  
........and up...  
  
Kasumi immidiately switched to rockets. 


	7. Part 6; 'Visual Aid'

Blame the Metroids for the faulty spelling!  
_________________________  
_________________________  
_________________________  
  
Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
  
  
  
  
"The Space Hunter has touched down planetside?" The third chancellor of the Council enquired.  
  
"That is correct, and has shut off outside communications, as is this one's usual operation proceedure." The blue verticle standing wormlike creature replied, "Do you think the Space Hunter designate 'Gemini' will succeed in eradicating Mother Brain and her band of Space Pirates for good?"  
  
"We don't even know if it's Mother Brain still exists," The barely opaque orange chancellor replied in his raspy voice, "but the threat of her followers still exists."  
  
"Very well, do you think it was wise to send only one Space Hunter to deal with this seemingly overwhelming threat? Not that I disagree with your judgement, it just seems well high a risk for such a critical situation," the first chancellor added in.  
  
"I have faith in 'Gemini. That one has never failed us before in the forty-two cycles of servitude to the Galactic Federation. Any more would be but a hinderance to the more qualified Hunter."  
  
"I see your reasoning behind that soundly. We shall wait for the designated Space Hunter to return from a successful venture." The wormlike creature replied.  
  
"Successful is correct. There is no room for failure in this instance. For if Mother Brain is still alive, and intending to reproduce the deadly metroids, once again a galactic crisis may loom over us on the horizon.  
__________________________________  
  
Kasumi looked up towards the writhing pillar of mechanical tenticles that stood the length of one and a half football fields with her rocket cannon ready. She didn't have to look back behind her to know the door had been sealed, and the only means of escape was through this monstrosity in front of her.  
  
"What... is that?" Kasumi breathed in nervousness.  
  
"[From the design of the technology, it's from the old civilization. I would presume if it's hostile that it's a security measure of some sort.]"  
  
"Then what am I supposed to do to it?"  
  
"[...]"  
  
"Never mind, I didn't expect you to answer," the Space Hunter sighed, and began studying it for any weakness. Something in on the ceiling caught her eye. A purple and gray mechanical spider construct was perched on the cieling of the massive room, and turned it's massive orb that was centered on it's back towards her. The eye started to glow a dull lavender as its iris centered on her, and suddenly, it dashed for the column of woven tendrils. Once it reached its goal, the spider squeezed its way through the tenticles; and with that, the thrashing of the tendrils became more violent.  
  
The opening attack came, as one of the tendrils pulled away from the mass with a glowing white tip, and stabbed towards Kasumi. The hunter easily dodged to the side almost precariously, but then was forced to dodge another one that imbedded itself into the wall, sending sparks flying from its discharge upon connection.  
  
"It's aggressive," the Space Hunter supplied into her comm. unit dryly. Nabiki didn't give a reply.  
  
Kasumi pulled her shoulder out of the way of one tendril that tried to impale her on her left side, and then raised her left leg to avoid it getting skewered off, "It's starting to get more hostile, I need a clue on how to beat this thing."  
  
"[I suggest looking for one.]"  
  
Kasumi mentally rolled her eyes, as the stabbing barrage became faster. She wasn't at all being pushed, but the boredomn factor was starting to kick in.  
  
That was until one of them almost managed to catch her.  
  
"WHAT?" The Space Hunter exclaimed in surprise, "It... it anticipated my move! WHOA!" Kasumi spun out of the way of another tendril, then was forced to back flip past another one, then duck a third one. She started to feel the anxiety set in, and randomly fired a few rockets into the main column. Not much effect was made.  
  
"How do you defeat this thing? Does it have a weakness?"  
  
"[I would suppose it does.]"  
  
"Nabiki, if you're not going to be... *yelp*... helpful, shut up, please." A cursory glance caught Kasumi's eye to something out of the uniform of tendrils in the column, a glowing lavender orb staring down at her from the top of the pillar. She quickly turned while dodging another impaling, and fired a missile after it. The orb retreated into the mass before the projectile could reach it.  
  
Kasumi gave a sigh of relief when the tendrils died down in their activity, and then growled in fustration when they started attacking her again.  
  
"[That 'eye', it's its weakness.]"  
  
"Right," Kasumi did a visual sweep over the pillar, while evading it's attacks. She found it again, a little lower in position and off to the side than before, and fired another rocket at it. Once again, it vanished into the pillar before her missile could hit it. Kasumi found herself waiting a bit longer this time for the pillar to return to hostile activity, and her foot was on a tenticle right before the mass came back to life, signaling that the eye was watching her again. A quick sweep found the eye near the base this time, looking at her in an almost baleful glare. This time, Kasumi moved in closer, weaving and flipping through the writhing tenticles, and fired. This time, the rocket connected before it could vanish, causing the whole pillar to shudder as if in pain. The eye started to glance around wildly, as the tendrils flailed about, frantically searching for a target and to protect itself. Finally, it dissappeared back into the pillar.  
  
Kasumi waited a good time before the eye made it's appearance near the top. The Space Hunter smirked to herself, and pulled out of the way of a stabbing tendril. Once it imbedded into the wall, she leapt onto it, and used it as a springboard. While in the air, she twisted out of the way of a few more tendrils, and hand planted onto the last one, pushing off in a handstand. Kasumi reverted herself, took quick aim, and fired.  
  
The Space Hunter committed an arial dance all the way back to the ground, as she evaded the tendril's attacks down. Kasumi continued to kneel after landing, waiting for activity to come again. She didn't have to wait long, as the eye once again appeared at the top of the pillar. Kasumi gritted her teeth, as she leapt onto a writhing tendril, and then onto another one. With a heavy chi enforced leap, Kasumi bounded off the third mechanical tenticle like a missile, and fired her rocket. The eye almost escaped again, but was caught before it was fully enveloped.  
  
"AH!" Kasumi cried out; one of the tendrils managed to strike her as they flailed about, sending her crashing into a wall. Almost before she could recover, a tendril stabbed forward. She kicked her legs up from the wall, turning herself upside down, as the spear pierced into where her torso had just been. She flipped onto the tendril, and fired almost as soon as she saw the eye.  
  
She was on the ground before activity started again, but this time it was seemingly a few strikes, then inactivity. The Space Hunter growled in fustration, as she wasn't being given enough time to scout out where the eye was before it would disappear. She started to estimate where it would appear, since it was reappearing quickly. After a general sweep of any area facing her about where she presumed the eye would reappear, she scored a hit.  
  
Suddenly, it went quiet after the eye vanished again, almost leading Kasumi to believe that she had defeated it. Unfortunatly, that wasn't the case, as the eye reappeared, and sent a cluster of tendrils in her general vicinity at once. The Space Hunter leapt out of the way hastefully, but didn't see the eye until another cluster of tendrils were sent after her.  
  
Kasumi found herself in a desperate situation; she knew where the eye would generally appear, but her rockets wouldn't have time to reach it before it would vanish again, and she was running too low on rockets to chance a rocket sweep and hope to hit it. Plus the tendrils were generally blocking her shots after hand, and forcing her to keep moving lest she be skewered. On top of that, it seemed to be moving from position to position at a *much* faster rate than before.  
  
"Nabiki, I can't get a clear shot, I..."  
  
"[On my mark, fire from your current position seventy-two degrees verticle and twenty six horizontal... now]"  
  
Kasumi fired, as her sister told her, and evaded the barrage. The Space Hunter eyed her rocket the whole time, as it sailed to the top; twisting like a screw through the air as it made its way. Kasumi almost despaired when the rocket almost collided with the pillar, but before the point of impact, the eye reappeared.  
  
The whole pillar shook as it hadn't before, the woven mass started to grow thinner and thinner, as the tendrils peeled away like strands of husk from corn. The mechanical construct that had been the Hunter's target, fell from the mass, and crashed to the ground, still moving. Kasumi fired upon it, not caring if it felt misery at all.  
__________________________________  
  
"[The Hunter must be stopped, and impeding its progress has not been successful.]"  
  
"Do not worry. It is now entering our layers, where the most dangerous of the traps await. We had many particularly tailor-made to deal with the Metroid Hunter."  
  
"[They better deal with it, be are almost to fruitation in our latest experaments. I will brook no interferance.]"  
  
"The Hunter is sanctioned. You have my word on that."  
  
"[Your words are not sufficient enough. I want the deed, not your hollow promises.]" 


	8. Part 7; 'Considerations'

Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
Chapter 7  
  
  
  
Kasumi watched, as the once writhing pillar started to wilt into the ground; while it's many tentacles started to peel off in layers.. After several moments, all that was left was a mound of tendrils.  
  
The Space Hunter spotted the violet door that was hidden behind it, and the blue door, and chose the former to explore first. In it, was a statue holding an energy sphere that had a rotating helix in the middle of it.  
  
Instead of just taking the object, Kasumi charged her hand with ki, and then swiped it across the neck of the statue. She gave a breath of relief when it shattered on the ground, still nothing but stone.  
  
"Nabiki, analysis on this energy sphere."  
  
"[It's some sort of pattern for a stabilized energy helix. It has the properties to adhese itself to most terrain and bond with it on a molecular level by 'reading' the molecular structure of the object it comes in contact with on one beam, and sending the information back on the other beam that would allow it to match the matter's density with the particles of the beam. It would then be similating itself as a part of that matter, arbeit on a more flexible level. One use I would presume with it is as a grappling hook.["  
  
"Hmm, definitely useful, then," Kasumi mused, "This is quite an intelligent work of technology." As she watched her cannon assimilate and begin to mimic the energy pattern, and considered its possiblilities. She switched the new weapon on, and fired it upwards. Twin blue beams that formed a helix rose from it, and the hunter felt something attach itself the the corridor roof from her gun. She commanded her gun to decrease the power output as a test, and was slightly surprised, as she was raised into the air.  
  
"[Interesting, apparently it maintains it's particle density, no matter what. So if you decrease the power, it will just make the bonding chain shorter. You an also guess that that means that the higher the molecular density of the surface it comes in contact with the more energy it will use, too.]"  
  
Kasumi frowned under her helmet, "Which means, for longer grappling chains, I would have to use a great deal of power output."  
  
"[Correct. Also, some surfaces would generate the same energy consumption with a shorter chain than others, so I would suggest limiting it's use.]"  
  
Kasumi shut the new addition to he weaponry off, and switched it back ot standard plasma beam. She turned and fired on the only exit of the room, and then rushed out of it. She came back into the room where she had fought her last major obstacle, and did a half gator off the ledge that the door she just came out of was. She broke into a run as soon as she touched the ground, and fired on the blue door.  
  
Once she was on the other side, she paused and looked around the corridor which seemed to be part of a new ecosystem. A soft light was supplied by white glowing plants, while small creatures scurried about at the invasion of a new introduction to their habitat. Kasumi walked cautiously down the corridor, while scanning about with her X-Ray spectrum scope.  
  
"Where does this lead to, can you see, Nabiki?"  
  
"[No, I am still blind to your location, but I am still recieving strongly from you. I'm taking the information reported back and forming a map base for our reference, as per usual.]"  
  
Kasumi hummed to herself, and jolted slightly when she felt something move under her feet. A centipede like creature with a bulbous head quickly scurried off, once the hunter lifted her feet. Kasumi wen slightly more cautious, as she walked down the corridor to the other end.  
_____________________________________  
  
In a tank, deep in the planet, a new form of creature was being developed by the Space Pirates. It was a weapon that exeeded the Metroids by far; it held so much potential, that even the threat of its use would be enough to quell whole Galactic goverments. The benefactor of the project would be pleased with it's progress, as it would be ready, once he makes his position known to the Galactic Federation. With him and their new biological weapon, Mother Brain and her Space Pirates stood to be unrivaled by any known universal power.  
  
The creature expanded and retracted in it's membrane. It had yet to develop any clear form, but the hunger for energy from it was tremendous.  
  
They hoped that soon, after it was born, it would have a great deal to feed upon.  
_____________________________________  
  
"[Nabiki...]"  
  
The young woman in question awaited for her sister to continue, "Yes?"  
  
"[Do you get the feeling that something is not quite right about all this?]"  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"[I mean to say, you would think that the Galactic Federation would have put as much effort as they could to ensure that at least these band of pirates would never regain any of their power. Yet we're here on a delicate mission to eliminate them as a threat, just as Samus Sensei had twice before.]"  
  
"I can see what you mean. I would presume that it may have been difficult to keep tabs on them; space is a massive territory to have under surveilance, after all."  
  
"[I suppose you're right, but something still doesn't feel right about this mission.]"  
  
"Keep your focus, Samus Sensei would deal with the problem at hand first, before moving onto further inquiries."  
  
"[There's another descending pit, from this one I can feel the temperature had risen. It's the only avenue I have to go now, so I'm going down.]"  
  
"Your Varia mechanism is functioning properly, and works against exeedingly high temperature and pressure up to eighty-two akes. You should be fine for continuing."  
  
Nabiki turned from the visual of the pit, and out to the cockpit window. A flash of lightning blazed against the dark night sky, but the sound of the following thunder could not be heard inside. The rain beat down on the window furiously, as if demanding to be let in. If Nabiki could find a reason to care, she would have ironically found the mood set by the weather outside rather soothing.  
  
Before the devistation of her home planet, she used to find night rains like this relaxing. A comfort that most people could not see the benefit of. She knew the days on the planet were long from the size of it and the speed of it's rotation, and if there were even a tinge of emotion in her, it would have had her fuming that they would only be able to spend a short time there.  
_____________________________________  
  
Kasumi descended the chasm, almost idly blasting any of the flying dragonfly-like creatures with tendrils from their mouths that got close. One has gotten to her side, and instead of bothering to shoot it, she kicked it away with a spinning roundhouse.  
  
She had not met much in the way of resistance, thankfully, and presumed it to be because of the rising temperature. She theorized that since she was getting deeper into the core, there would be less flying creatures, and more leaping ones. And the ones that did would stay more towards the top where it may be more comfortable for them.  
  
She reached the bottom, and noted that under her was a transparent and artificially made floor, that displayed a flow of molten rock under her about two earth miles down. It seemed to serve a purpose of allowing light to be shown into the corridor, since the soft light giving plants were no longer around; possibly due to the higher temperature. Though she was sure her suit could sustain the high temperatures, it did not sit well with her at all with the view she was given. It may be a bit difficult to find a way out of it if she were to be suddenly plunged into it.  
  
She opened up the violet door that was to her right, and stepped through it. She was thankful for the magmic rock ground under her feet once again, but before she could state her appreciation for it, she heard skittering noises about. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a flat, mantis-shaped creature about half the size and length of her, flowing against the wall towards her aggressively; blending in with its habitat pretty well with its natural deep brown camoflage. Unfortunately for it, it wasn't well protected from Kasumi's keen vision, as she blasted it off the wall.  
  
It gave a low squeel, and then flopped to the ground with a hole in it. Kasumi could see its stubby legs still squirming on it, on it's base. The creature's death cry attracted several more to her; and nearly dozens of the creatures started to rush towards her.  
  
On a hunch, she flaired her battle aura into a variation of the Soul of Ice technique that Grandmaster Happosai had adapted that used a lot less ki for more effect than the original technique did. Kasumi had to respect the grandmaster of her school; he was almost as adaptable with techniques as Ranma.  
  
Kasumi shook out of her reverie at the sounds of the creature squealing, when they came in contact with unfamiliar cold, and then scurried away. One had not been able to get away in time, and Kasumi stepped on it, not paying any attention.  
  
She walked on, and leapt onto a rock barrier that impeded her way. On the other side, the Space Hunter almost gasped. The wall seemed to be alive themselves; she must have happened upon a hive of some sort. With a deep breath, she carefully slid down, ensuring to keep her cold aura up. She walked through the creatures, as they parted the way for her. 


	9. Part 8; 'Dispassionate'

Ranma/Metroid  
Ill Gain  
  
  
  
  
  
Kasumi walked along cautiously, through the parting sea of creatures towards the other side of the massive cavern. Every so often, she would feel one get trapped underfoot, and squish like a bag of gelatin as her weight came down upon it. She ignored the unsettling sensation, ensuring to keep her aura of near sub-zero temperature around her, and an eye out for any possible attacks.  
  
All she could see were hundreds of the mantis like creatures that almost perfectly blended into the enviorment. As she peered closer, she saw their jaws had mandables that where rather thick, probably for holding tightly onto their prey and never letting go, but they extruded from the mouth so far that if it ere to catch its prey, there would have to be some means for it to... maybe devour it from the distance it was held from the mouth. Maybe tendrils from the oriface, or the tusks contracted into the creature to bring a meal closer.  
  
What ever it was, the Space Hunter felt no inclanation to test the theory, and in fact decided to boost her aura a bit farther from her to give herself wider berth.  
  
"[Your bio statistics have jumped.]"  
  
"I've expanded my blizzard aura. The organisms here seemed to dislike it quite a bit."  
  
"[If it is generating a negative responce, than I won't concern myself with it any further.]"  
  
"Hmph, when was the last time you felt any sort of concern?" Kasumi thought to herself, as the exit to the corridor came into range. The sharp skittling sounds were now more abundant behind her than in front, as the creatures that made the cavern their hive enclosed back into the spaces that had quickly warmed back up. She fired at the blue door in front of her with her regular plasma beam, opening it for her escape. Many of the creatures attempted to exit with her, but ended up fleeing from the unfamiliar and uncomfortable coldness that radiated from the door.  
  
The exit closed behind the Space Hunter, and she found herself standing in a tube bridge that was surrounded by molten lava that seemed to be descending. Probably falling towards the main pool that was several miles below her. Kasumi already surmised that she was at the planet's core. She had descended much farther than she realized. Just as well, it meant the planet was relatively newformed, as it still had a rather sizable molten core that hadn't yet cooled down so the molten ball of rock that was the center was signifigantly smaller.  
  
"Nabiki, how old would you say this planet is?"  
  
"[What signifigance does that question have in relation to our current mission?]"  
  
"I'm just curious, its quiet at the moment, and I thought I'd strike a conversation with my loving sister."  
  
"[You don't need any distractions at the moment, as you have pointed out earlier.]"  
  
Kasumi's eyes widened slightly, as she walked down the bridge. The Space Hunter's expression grew remorseful under her helmet, "Nabiki, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. It just came at a bad time when you mentioned him."  
  
"[All the more reason to keep our conversations to minimum. Don't concern yourself with my feelings as I agree with you.]"  
  
Kasumi sighed in fustration, before speaking, "I think we can take a quick break."  
  
"[You haven't even began to exert yourself, why...]"  
  
"Nabiki, you're my sister, I love you beyond anything else, but shut up for a second. I have to ask, do you love me back?" Kasumi kneeled, and waited for an answer.  
  
There came only silence from the other end.  
  
"Nabiki, answer the question."  
  
"[...]"  
  
"NABIKI!!!" Kasumi bellowed both physically and otherwise; she needed to know emotionally how far gone her sister was. Over the years, she would not ask this question; she assumed it would be the case. Now, with the stress of their latest mission, which with the discovery that Mother Brain may have survived, pressure needed to be released somewhere. Kasumi couldn't 'assume' her sister's affection for her no longer. Her professionalism was at stake; if something wasn't aired out, she would probably soon crack under strain.  
  
"[You need to get going.]"  
  
Kasumi smiled wistfully. It was funny really, she felt strangely relieved. She stood back up, and continued down the glass corridor that held the molten rock that flowed around its outside at bay, "So, I'm the last of the human race, after all."  
_______________________________  
  
The space pirates looked around in confusion, as they awaited their advisary to walk into the trap.  
  
"What is 'Nabiki'?" one enquired to the other. The second almost golden-yellow mantis like creature responded in negative, having no idea itself.  
_______________________________  
  
"Pardon?" Nabiki asked curiously, wondering on an intellectual level what her sister was talking about.  
  
"[Nothing, nothing Nabiki. Don't worry about it.]"  
  
The younger girl shrugged in response, "Okay." Nabiki went back to gazing outside, while idly tracing her finger along the control panel in slight boredom. As unphased by her sister's comment, she couldn't but wonder what her sister meant.  
_______________________________  
  
The Space Hunter stepped through the blue door, and surveyed the large room she was in. It was lined with technology that was coated with some sort of glossy substance that was for what she presumed to protect the delicate microworks from the extreme temperatures that were waging around it. The ceiling was still of volcanic rock, and continued forward to the next door that was about seventy yards down the large hall.  
  
On the cieling, two yellow mantis creatures were braced onto it; holding tightly lest they fall. They both turned a sinister glare towards their enemy, and launched into action.  
  
Kasumi spun away from the dart kick that was aimed for her back, and retaliated with a thrust kick to her landed opponent. She then leapt over the rushing charge of the second one, leaving a rocket in its path.  
  
The Space Hunter switched back to her ki-enhanced plasma rifle, as her rocket exploded. The first humanoid creature reeled back it's arm, and threw it at her. Kasumi ducked it, and followed it with her eyes, as it looped around like a boomerang, and headed back to its owner. She then leapt straight up, out of the way of the first one's eyebeams, turned upside down in the air, and braced her feet against the ceiling.  
  
The two ambushing space pirates wound back to launch their razor sharp mantis arms at their opponent, and paused in surprise. Kasumi started to run towards them, on the cieling, and when she was above them, she crouched down, and launched herself at the first one. She landed hard on it, with both feet, attempting to crush it's hyperdense exoskeleton. She succeeded in cracking it, before she was forced to leap away from her downed opponent that she was about to finish off, as a boomerang projectile almost grazed her.  
  
The Space Hunter performed a half-gator that caused her to face her two opponents. The first one pulled itself off the ground, and they both dashed at Kasumi. In unison, they leapt into the air, and performed darting dive kicks. Kasumi smiled, and went into a Saotome Ryuu stance, before leaping up to meet them.  
  
She landed gracefully on her feet some distance away, as both her opponents landed hard on their backs. One of them quickly recovered, but now knew not to attempt another airstrike against someone who was so adept in mid-air combat. Its partner continued to lay on the ground; it's shell was now more than cracked, and shattering inward to puncture and crush vital organs.  
  
The surviving Space Pirate took note of the other's condition, and instead of continuing to face their hated enemy, made a break for it. Kasumi blinked, and then took off after it, when it opened the door to exit the corridor.  
  
She arrived just before it closed, and watched the Space Pirate go into light dash down the slight declining hill. Kasumi raced after it, going into her own light dash in order to catch up. Like two sprinters with everything on the line, they ran for whatever goal the first one intended.  
  
They ran through weak barriers as if they were not there, and turned corridors on a pinpoint in their rush. The space pirate tried all it could to lose the hunter, but it was still slowly losing ground to the pursuer. It decided a sacrifice was in order if the rest was to survive.  
  
The pirate turned, and flung its arm at its chaser, and Kasumi was forced to duck into a roll, causing her to lose her speeding momentum. The pirate could not recover its arm at the moment, and continued to run.  
  
Kasumi put on her short distance speed, in hopes she could slow it down from a distance. By the time she caught up with it, she saw a purple door close. The Space Hunter cursed, and fired into the door with her ki-enhanced plasma cannon to open it, and paused curiously when she noted it flash like a shimmer of light passed over it, and then opened after a slight lag. She decided that it was not of importance, and rushed through.  
  
Hanging from the ceiling, a one-armed humanoid creature watched its pursuer pass right under it, and into the next room.  
_______________________________  
  
The room Kasumi found herself in was dark, exept for the pulsing of blue lights that traveled like a beads of water down a crevice along the walls. The Space Hunter could feel the pulse of energy in the room.  
  
She turned around, and found her exit was now grayed, meaning she could not escape; it was apparent she walked into some sort of trap. Since it had not been sprung yet, Kasumi decided to gather information about her surroundings that may prove useful in whatever was about to happen.  
  
"Nabiki, the energy floating around in this room, what do you make of it?"  
  
"[It looks like it is the same ionic structure as your grappling beam, exept much more complex. It looks like its capable of varying its field in density and behavioral properties.]"  
  
"So, what does that mean?" Kasumi enquired, cautiously surveying the room. Her attention was caught by a congesting sphere of blue light, and noticed out of the corner of her eyes that moe were melting from the walls and floor, and hovring in the air. Behind her in some distance, light blue energy began to coalese into a larger size, and shape itself.to form. Once it finished, it raised its arm canon, and took aim...  
_______________________________  
  
"Now," started a something with a sinister smile that could be heard in its voice, while it watched the Space Hunter on the moniter before it, "it is time to be rid of you, designate; 'Gemeni'...." 


	10. Part 9; 'For Real'

Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
  
  
  
  
Kasumi stared at the glowing blue sphere that floated before her, and sighed. She was really getting tired of being attacked from behind...  
  
Kasumi faded out of the way of a short blue stream of energy meant for her head. As she spun around to return fire, the Space Hunter found herself tackled by a blue blur. Kasumi used the backwards momentum to roll with the collision, and plant her feet into the mid of the blue mass. She kicked it backwards, and as she did so, got a good look at what her opponent was.  
  
The doppleganger caught itself on its left hand, and flipped to standing; firing as soon as it braced itself. "I guess I'm supposed to say something witty about imitations now..." Kasumi mocked, as she returned fire. Two of their blasts collided in the air, causing an explosion of ions and cancelling each other out. The rest Kasumi dodged, but not with much ease.  
  
"[You should concentrate on your opponent instead of contemplating unnessesary banter.]"  
  
"You know, Nabiki, you weren't always this anti-social." One of the Space Hunter's blasts scored a hit; the plasma blast managing to shear a good portion of her opponent's mass from the side of the abdomen. Immidiately, one of the blue spheres in the room darted over, replacing the missing mass of the main body.  
  
Kasumi groaned at its recovery, but continued to fire. The psuedo-Kasumi continued to return fire, but still narrowly missing its target. Unfortunately for it, the true Space Hunter scored two more. Two of the spheres in the room glided over and patched up the wounds. Narrowing her eyes behind the visor, Kasumi turned to fire on one of the floating spheres. It popped like a bubble, only to have another one melt from the wall to take its place.  
  
"Nabiki, any ideas?"  
  
"[No.]"  
  
"No...? NO?!? Oh, gee, sis, I'm so happy your taking this calml-YIPE!" the doppleganger leapt into the air, and fired down towards Kasumi. She easily had stepped the blast, and didn't realize until it was almost too late that the thing fired an imitation of her grappling beam. It then used it to pull itself towards Kasumi's direction with its leg out for a kick. The Space Hunter rolled under the attack, and delivered a hand plant kick back towards its back. The doppleganger recovered before the kick could connect, and scissored it's legs around Kasumi's outstretched one. Then it twisted, bending the knee with the joint, locking Kasumi as it turned its cannon to her head at point blank.  
  
Kasumi parried the cannon with her left hand, sending the blast past her head. She then brought her own cannon up, and returned fire towards its head, at point blank range.  
  
The Space Hunter rolled away, as the doppleganger reeled back from missing its head, and once again, a blue sphere came to repair the damage.  
  
"Little help here..." Kasumi replied nervously, as she backed up and dodged the barrage of blasts directed towards her.  
  
"[I'm working on it. Keep fighting it until I find a weakness.]"  
  
"Sounds like a brilliant plan to me. Maybe I should forgoe the futile part of this confrontation and just stand still?"  
  
"[I wouldn't suggest that, keep moving.]"  
  
Kasumi was about to retort, when the doppleganger changed tactics, and closed the distance between them for hand to hand. The Space Hunter easily evaded the pattern attack, and leapt back. "Hey, nice moves, Mr. Pale Imitation, wish I had a set like them," Kasumi replied sarcastically, and then blinked; That was a combination attack of the Tendou school that she had yet to use for a while. How did her opponent know it?  
  
The Doppleganger suddenly leapt into the air, and Kasumi *almost* followed. Instead, she fired up towards it in a seemingly wall of plasma blasts. The theory she came up with was proven correct, as the energy construct nimbly evaded every blast in the air with gracious ease.  
  
"Saotome School aero-evasion, no doubt," Kasumi mumbled to herself.  
  
"[Pardon?]"  
  
"OF COURSE! They must have expected us to make it this far!" Kasumi exclaimed, as she backflipped away from her opponent's falling knee crush.  
  
"[Explain.]"  
  
"This aura enhancement, it was part of a trap for us.. I mean me, I think." Kasumi ducked under a flying kick, and attempted to retaliate with an uppercut, but found her blow redirected by a technique from Happosai's school. "Ouch," she whimpered, landing against the wall hard enough for her concussive dampeners to be temporarily overloaded, "It was allowing whatever this place is to 'study' me, reading my- alley oop!- technique and utilizing it as it's own."  
  
"[So, in other words, it knows what you know, now?]"  
  
Kasumi winced, as her sister simplified it; it sounded a lot worse in Layman's terms. She stepped inside of the doppleganger's left straight punch, blocking it with her back, and then delivered a heavy right elbow to her opponent in the gut. Fortunately, it felt like she was attacking her own armor, and she had reinforced her blow with her own ki to get the extra advantage in durability over the immitation. The doppleganger staggered back, and Kasumi straighted out her right arm so her cannon's head was now pressed up against the psuedo-Space Hunter's gut.  
  
In a quick and steady barrage of fire, Kasumi cleaved the thing in half, right up the middle. It was another attack that proved futile, as it six blue spheres quickly rushed to replace the damage.  
  
"[Attacking it directly is proving useless...]"  
  
"Then what do you suggest?" Kasumi snapped, irritated, "If you're going to prove yourself nothing more than an emotionless coordinater, then at least be useful in that!"  
  
Nabiki only noted the malice and spite in Kasumi's voice directed towards her on an intellectual level, "[I would suggest possibly attacking it at the source, then.]"  
  
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Kasumi asked herself. She suddenly found her opponent was on par with her in hand to hand, almost seeming to know what she was going to do before she did it. Finally, the doppleganger managed to snake one through, almost connecting with the Space Hunter. In reaction, Kasumi turned redirected its force with one of Happosai's techniques, and then quickly modified it with a grapple from the Tendou school.  
  
The psuedo-Kasumi found itself slammed into the ground, with the real Kasumi still holding onto its arm. The Space Hunter then slammed her opponent back to the other side, and then finally, while still holding onto its arm, spun it around, and threw it against the wall; right where one of the blue lights tracing the grooves in the wall was moving to.  
  
Before the doppleganger could fall from the wall, a plasma blast went right through it. A high pitched winding sound was emitted from it, signifying that Kasumi's shot was a success. The Space Hunter smiled to herself; her opponent may have been well versed in the Tendou, Saotome, and Happosai school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, but she always wanted to create her own branch.  
  
As her opponent repaired itself with another blue sphere, Kasumi quickly took aim and destroyed ten of the blue lights tracing the floor, and smiled to herself as each and every one of them 'popped' and gave that winding noise.  
  
With Kasumi suddenly finding its weakness, several of the blue spheres suddenly merged, to form a second doppleganger. Kasumi could guess that it would be just as proficient as the first one was in martial arts, and she also knew that her previous adaptations would probably not work a second time on either of them. It was and advantage that her opponents didn't seem to have her adaptability, which was the embodiment of the Anything Goes styles. With a smile, Kasumi casually stated to herself, "Mmmm, cake!"  
  
She danced from one doppleganger to the other, trading blows with both to keep them at bay. When she was ready, Kasumi leapt into the air, in which they both followed, just as she planned it. While in the air, Kasumi rolled herself into a rapidly spinning ball, and launched bombs everywhere. The dopplegangers caught the brunt of the bombs, damaging them both severely. They were a lot slower to recover, and Kasumi again returned her attention to destroying the sphere emitters. Abandoning their idleness, the remaining spheres that weren't used for repair formed a third Doppleganger. None of them noticed the superbomb that Kasumi discreetly layed on the ground, while she herself payed no attention to any of them, and marked the positions of the remaining energy sphere emitters.  
  
Just as three blue hued fists were about to collide with her head, everything went blindingly white...  
___________________________  
  
The Space Hunter confidently strode through the open door, and looked around. All about her was massive amounts of technology, signifying she had reached the main layer of the Space Pirates. She idly noted that it would have been obvious with the sheer amount of the mantis-like humanoids that were waiting for her.  
  
Kasumi smirked beneith her visor, and lifted her cannon from the elbow to point up. She opened the top of it to convert it to missiles, and then closed it back to plasma cannon in a confident taunt, "Weeeeee're heeeeeeere!" 


	11. Part 10; 'Crucial'

Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
  
  
  
  
The space pirates were ill equipped.  
  
The Space Hunter had steadily progressed to their main layer, though with a great deal of effort. The Space Hunter had decisively dealt with some of the most deadly traps tailored specifically to handle her with uncanny skill. The Space Hunter had efficiently slaughtered one of their most elite fighters, and left the second in no condition to combat for a while, and she did it while facing both of them at once. The Space Hunter utilized technology that was somewhat beyond even their full comprehension with relative ease. The Space Hunter had at some point gained close combat skills that made the Space Hunter all the more deadly. The Space Hunter was currently battling, and winning against a sea of space pirates who were hellbent and desperate to stop her from progressing. It wasn't a battle...  
  
It was a clean slaughter.  
  
Kasumi elbowed one pirate to her right, and spun into a roundhouse kick with her right foot into the one in front of her. She leapt over another one, and landed on its head, and then rolled into a ball, leaving a bomb between the legs of the next one in front of her. As she stood up, her left hand shot to the side, and grabbed one of the humanoid mantises by the neck, and slung it around like a bludgeon to clear some breathing room; and after its task was done, slammed it into the ground. She pulled to her left, evading a slash from one of the pirates aimed for her head from behind, and spun around. Her knee connected into the attacking pirates small of its back, and instead of pushing it away, her knee lodged into it, and she dropped down into a kneel, breaking its back.   
  
From her position, she rose her arm cannon to the side, back handing another pirate in the stomach, and sending it flying into a group of them trying to gain a good vantage point to attack. Still kneeling on the wailing creature's back, Kasumi took aim at four of the pirates that were in turn trying to aim for her with their eye beams; Kasumi was much faster on the trigger.  
_______________________________  
  
"[WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE HAS MADE IT INTO THE FINAL LAYER?!?]" The furious voice of the creature on the moniter shouted.  
  
"She managed to amazingly escape the final trap, it should not have been possible!" the black mantis creature wearing a red cloak replied with an incredulous voice, "But it is still less of a matter, even if she makes it beyond the current overwhelming forces of ours, she will not leave this planet.  
  
"[That is correct, she will not,]" the voice was low and menacing, "[because you will release the improved bioweapon..]"  
  
"You... you cannot be serious..."  
  
"[It is worthless to me, or to any of us, if she survives the discovery. There is no way she should be able to overcome them, as they are as you stated, immune to all of her possible weapons.]"  
  
"But we haven't established a slave gene in them, they will not be easy to control once they are released..."  
  
"[I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT! You will release them...]"  
  
"Y-yes."  
  
"[And you will released *all* of them.]" The mantis creature looked up towards the cerillian blue benefacter, its eyelids fluttering from the sides in its version of pale shock.  
_______________________________  
  
The Space Hunter aimed her her cannon to the right, and fired at one space pirate almost against the wall. Her grappling beam barely missed its head, leaving the creature to think it had the advantage. Just as it was rushing forward, Kasumi jerked her arm back, pulling a good hunk of the wall with the beam, and slamming it into the head of the space pirate. Kasumi continued to retract the grappling beam, pulling the humanoid mantis to her by its head, and the Space Hunter raised her right foot, at about head level. She relinquished the grapple beam, and before the space pirate's head could fall from her foot, she brought it down into a stomp.  
  
The last space pirate gave a final wail that signified that it would die before letting the Space Hunter get any further. Of course, Kasumi was more than willing to oblige it, as she ducked under its high horizontal scissoring slashes, and grabbed it by the waist. Kasumi then flipped into a suplex, slamming down the mantis onto the back of its head and the small of its back. She rolled off of him, and then fell from standing into an elbow drop onto its ribs. Kasumi then ran to a wall, and a moment later, landed from a flying elbow into its head.  
  
"[Kasumi, what are you doing?]"  
  
"Indulging," Kasumi replied kurtly, "Lemme have my moments..."  
  
"[Whatever, you're wasting time.]"  
  
Kasumi rolled her eyes, and stuck out her tongue, knowing her sister couldn't see, "I'm moving on." Kasumi walked towards the newly accessable exit, and opened it. She stepped into a dimly lit hall, lined with recognizable technology of the space pirates, but found no one around. The Space Hunter looked about, keeping her guard up and ready for any attack, when a low keening noise sounded from the distance, a very familiar sound.  
  
Before Kasumi even knew what hit her, she was tumbling onto the floor, and wrestling with some mass of goo. She gasped, as she felt the sudden pull of her bio-energy from herself, as it was being stripped from her quickly. Kasumi intellectually knew what it was that just attacked her at blinding speed that she almost missed, but the panic settling over her mind attempted to keep her from its full realization.  
  
Quickly recalling her knowlege on how to deal with the metroids, Kasumi quickly switched on her freeze beam, and combined it with her plasma shot. She struggled to get her arm cannon in position, and fired the beam into the creature that was leeching her of her life and suit system energy.  
  
It didn't work.  
  
Kasumi began to frantically fire her beam into it, but its grip held firm. "NO!" She flaired her battle aura with violent effect, finally dislodging the creature. The Space Hunter now got a good look at the metroid that hovered warily about her, now joined by two others after her outburst. They were instantly familiar to the manta ray-like creatures she had encountered not too long ago, but now they were much larger, possibly because they were more matured, and held the transparency that she knew metroids commonly held. The other differences from standard metroids were that the three spheres that supposadly served in place of their nervous system were now at the front of the body, instead of the center, and their mandables were now also on the front, instead of under it. Finally, their bodys were rather flat, giving them an aerodynamic look for speed.  
  
Kasumi stepped back, when she realized how confident they seemed, as if she was going to be defeated, regardless. It was a very familiar confidence that she was having a bit of problems placing where she had felt the.... the aura of confidence before. Kasumi's eyes widened behind her visor in realization, and she nearly fainted, when each of them started generating a golden sphere of ki between their mandables.  
  
"OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY....." Kasumi moaned in sudden, intense fear, and leapt out of the paths of the Mouku Takabishas. As soon as the creatures fired, they circled to bhe back of her, and attempted to blindside the Space Hunter. Kasumi flaired her cold aura in an attempt to ward off. The ignored it, and continued to rush her, forcing Kasumi to evade for all she was worth with every technique and every ounce of skill she held.   
  
Nabiki had been silent the whole encounter with the metroids. She really hadn't been expeciting it, but she wasn't surprised in the least. It also lead her to consider something Kasumi had asked her not too long ago; about the strangeness of the situation. She directed her efforts into deducing what the appearance of the metroids meant, knowing Kasumi would be up to the task of destroying the monsters.  
  
Unfortunately, they seemed to be learning from their mistakes, and changing their attack patterns on the fly, making the gaps Kasumi was narrowly avoiding them smaller and smaller. Finally, she was slammed into the ground, dogpiled by all three mutated metroids. In desperation, Kasumi flaired her battle aura into the blizzard soul technique, and fired her freeze plasma beam at the same time. After over a dozen shots in the space of four eternally long seconds, Kasumi no longer felt her energy being leeched from her body.  
  
She brought herself to standing, looking down upon the mass of three frozen metroids on the ground before her. These... these metroids, they were using...  
  
"Oh... Ranma..." Kasumi sobbed. She closed her eyes, and brought her right foot up, flairing it with ki. She brought it down hard, letting a tear escape at the sound of ice shattering.  
  
"[Kasumi, what about Ranma?]" Nabiki asked, the mentioned name bringing her attention back. Kasumi turned back down the way she was heading, now full of fury and vengence for the ones that did this. It was all clear to her now, the metroids on earth were no accident, or random selection because of the abundance of beta radiation that allowed the metroids to multiply. The technology on this planet that was chosen by the space pirates, dealing with a being's bio-energy wasn't a coincidence. It was all part of a plot to develope what potentially was to be an invincible bio-weapon the likes the universe had ever seen, and Earth payed dearly, by being a part of its development. Worse yet, Ranma, and who ever else possibly, were unwilling templates, genetic and/or psionic.  
  
With a feral roar that slowly got louder, Kasumi broke into a run, not bothering to utilize her light dash or enhance her own speed with her personal energy. She wanted them to know she was coming, she wanted whoever did this to know her every move, to see her anger, and know they'll be the ones recieving its full.  
  
Nabiki puzzled over what ever had upset Kasumi so, and knew that her sister's anger was going to bring many mistakes. Nabiki decided to quickly go over the recent battle with the metroids and Kasumi, and her eyes went wide themselves, while all sanguine color left her face.  
  
Kasumi's roar became pronounced through her ki as she ran down the hall; causing the floors, walls, and ceiling to tremble slightly. Ahead of her was another chasm that would lead her to whoever brought this atrocity to fruitation. She was quickly derailed from her anger, and gasped as she brought herself to a stop before jumping down the pit. She barely stopped at the edge, and looked down. Rising from it was a symphony of screeches and keening sounds, followed shortly by over a hundred of the mutant metroids... 


	12. Part 11; 'Mass Apex'

Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
  
  
  
  
  
Kasumi took a weary step back, as the army of mutant metroids approached the surface, no doubt hearing the cries of combat from above. There was no way she could take on the legion of the energy vampires that suddenly stopped at the base of the chasm, almost carefully considering their present meal.  
  
The Space Hunter already knew that the entrance to the room was now sealed, and that the bottom of the chasm held the exit. More than likely, it was also sealed until every one of the creatures in the room were dead, but....  
  
"[Kasumi?]"  
  
The Space Hunter decided not to answer her sister, and manually switched verbal responce off. She would hear her sister, just in case she had dire warnings to give her, but Nabiki would know that she would not be responding. Slowly, ever so slowly, Kasumi stook steps back from the edge of the pit, attempting not to alert the deadly creatures into attacking. Once she had enough due space from the edge, Kasumi took a deep breath to steady her nerves. The calmness that fueled professionalism settled over her, washing through her body like a purifying wave made to sync her mind, body, and soul into one complete unity. Once her brief meditation was up, Kasumi ran, and leapt into the air. And with arms spread wide, then shooting down,dove into the chasm.  
______________________________  
  
"KASUMI!" Nabiki's voice shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She knew her sister wouldn't respond, so she wouldn't get an answer as to why her sister did something as tactically unsound as diving into a full pit of METROIDS.  
  
For all seven years, Nabiki never felt the need to put faith into her sister and her abilities; Kasumi would succeed, or not. Now, the Space Hunter was facing impossible odds, that even her immense training, abilities, skill, tactics, and combined knowlege of all three Anything Goes Schools could overcome. Perhaps if Kasumi could lure them one by one, and manage to finish them off a few at a time, even if that would take ages to do; what with the fact that they seemed to even have Ranma's ability to adapt to stratagies quickly after encountering them; it still would have been a MUCH smarter thing to do than swan dive into their nest.  
  
"Kasumi..." Nabiki started, but trailed off; her voice blending out into the pounding rain upon the hull of their spaceship.  
______________________________  
  
The Metroids reacted quickly to the hunter's dive, and quickly went to intercept. The first Metroid was right in front of Kasumi's descent, and rising quickly towards her. Flairing her fist with as much frozen ki as possible, she knocked it out of the way. Like a swarm of angry yellow jackets upon an intruder to the hive, the metroids swarmed Kasumi relentlessly, forcing the Space Hunter to dodge and weave pummel away any of the metroids that got in her way. Her full concentration was in the task, her mind looking at any and every possible avenue of evasion, and then the three or four after that to figure the best pattern in attempts to avoid being snagged in mid-air by the hungry monsters.  
  
A wall of metroids were descending upon her from above, almost as fast as she was falling. Few that were still below her were quickly rising; some only seeming to note her in surprise, while others possibly tring to anticipate her. She flipped in the air by one, barely managing to graze it, and then angled her body to avoid another one; just a few more seconds till she hit the ground.... just a few more.... almost... THERE!"  
  
Kasumi used her ki to reinforcer her legs and the armor surrounding them. Her impact caused an indenture in the metal floor that compacted heavily dense metal that made it up by almost a meter in. The Space Hunter looked up, and towards the door, just to have the fear of her gambit confirmed...  
______________________________  
  
Nabiki watched silently, as a mountain of metroids slammed down onto her sister, like paraina onto a hapless trout. Her sister's energy and reserves were dropping so fast that it would only be a matter of seconds until she was finished. Nabiki closed her eyes, and turned away from the view moniter. Her sight came into view of the spare Space Hunter suit they had available. If Kasumi was... then it would be up to her to finish the mission. She didn't have any of the physical training her sister had exept for the nominal amount that was insisted upon by Kasumi to keep her in shape, and the extra suit lacked most of the enhancements the other one did, but there was a mission to complete.  
  
Nabiki got up out of her seat, and turned a glance back to the moniter. What she saw caused the third show of emotion that she had had in seven years.  
______________________________  
  
Like a flash, the pile of metroids were ice blue, pulsing just a bit from the plasma that had permeated them with the absolute zero that caused atoms to cease to move completely. Suddenly, the whole mountain shattered like dynamite placed within a glass statue, revealing a Space Hunter standing valiantly and tall. After the expulsion of might to rid herself of the frozen mass, Kasumi closed the missile hatch on her cannong that she had opened to allow her to expell a massive amount of enegy in a single wide blast at once, and stumbled, no longer having barely any energy in her suit to keep it aloft and running at least minimally beyond life support, or her own personal life energy, which she used almost all of in order to help power the wide blast to flash-freeze the metroids.  
  
There was plenty of energy floating around the air from the deceased biological weapons she had just destroyed, but she didn't have the energy to even stand up to gather it. Kasumi grimaced, knowing what she would have to do. There was an energy revitalizing technique of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, the only one that existed in the school.  
  
It took a certain mindset to tap into the technique, and because of it, Kasumi had wished to any Kami that still existed for her that there had to be another one from the other schools. After seven years of constantly going over the contents of Happosai's treasure chest of knowlege of the arts, no avail.  
  
Kasumi groaned, and then allowed a letcherous smile to form over her face. She allowed her arm cannon to detach itself, and reached to her other arm to open a secret compartment that held some of Nabiki's undergarments. She really... REALLY hoped Nabiki wasn't seeing this....  
______________________________  
  
Nabiki slumped back into the chair with a dumbfounded expression. That would be the last time she would ever put doubt in Kasumi's abilities, ever again.  
______________________________  
  
"[GEMINI DID WHAT?!?]" Screamed the furious creature in the view moniter. The current commander of the Space Pirates growled at its benefactors beratement.  
  
The insectoid creature wearing a cape was clearly surprised, but not frantic at the turn of events. The Space Hunter managed to defeat their entire stock of metroids, impressive. It would set them back a great deal, but it is not a unrecoverable loss. Now, the Space Hunter would be sufficiently weakened for Mother Brain to be able to finish the damnable Space Hunt...  
  
Kasumi stepped through the door, just as the view moniter was abruptly cut off from the other end, and leveled her cannon at the mantis creature. It gave a series of clicking noises which the Space Hunter presumed was laughter. Kasumi was puzzled as to why it was laughing, and was about to ask, when another... rather LARGE presence was felt to the side of her.  
  
Slowly, Kasumi turned. Her eyes met the single eye that was imbedded in a massive brain that was the center of a cluster of nine brains that were attacked to thousands of wires that were interwoven throught the room. Kasumi stepped back, and forgot her rule of silence among the enemy, "M-Mother Brain?"  
  
"Surprised?" the current commander of the Space Pirates chuckled, "You thought twice that you had succeeded in destroying Mother Brain. I shall take great pleasure in telling you that you had done nothing more than destroy mere terminals..."  
  
"[Terminals?]" Nabiki's voice came over the comm. unit to question for Kasumi.  
  
The mantis creature in the cape paused, as it noted the voice that spoke was different, and then resumed, "Yes, you thought Mother Brain to be a single life form that was easily destroyed. In truth, Mother Brain is a whole network that spans the whole galaxy! No matter how many of the terminals you destroy, Mother Brain will exist!"  
  
The Space Hunter made a show of looking around, before Nabiki's voice spoke again, "Maybe, but I have a feeling that a great deal was put into this one terminal. I don't think this is a terminal at all, in fact, more like a hub..." The Space Hunter turned to the cluster of brains, finding one had a mouth that was silently hissing at her, " It would criple you a great deal if this area were to perish..."  
  
The commander paused, and started to make its clicking sounds of laughter again, "It would quite a bit, but you will find that this one isn't as weak as the previous ones..." The space pirate quickly attempted to take its leave, but found the door sealed, "What is..."  
  
Mother Brain let out a wail of rage, before unleashing a heavy barrage of weaponry upon the occupants of the room. The space pirate perished, for its incompetence in the eyes of its true master immidiately, while the Space Hunter was forced to dodge with all her ability.  
  
The air was thick with beams of lasers and white energy rings that resolved to cut Kasumi down so that she would never pester the organization of Space Pirates ever again. Kasumi moved like smoke against agressing winds, dancing and flickering around the barrage because her life depended upon it. She turned, and fired her beam at the center eye of the cluster, and found her rocket shattering upon a thin shield that covered it. The Space Hunter's eyes went wide behind her visor, and quickly instead turned her fire upon the weaponry in the room. Fortunately, it was vunerable to her own firepower, and she found herself gaining breathing room to fire more shots at Mother Brain. Every missile detonated upon the shield Mother Brain had protecting it. The Mother Brain roared furiously, as its protective shield was starting to thin; noticable to Kasumi also.  
  
"Come on... come on..." Kasumi mumbled, not even noticing the mantra being softly repeated by her sister. Suddenly, all firing stopped, leaving Kasumi to puzzle over what just happened, until she noticed the shield over Mother Brain's eye started to rebuild itself, as the eye itself was closed, as if gathering energy.  
  
"[KASUMI, MOVE!]" Nabik shouted, recognizing it from videos of Samus's previous battle with Mother Brain. It was culminating energy from weapons and such for a wide and high powered beam that was too wide to dodge, and would almost completely drain, if not outright kill, its target.  
  
Kasumi herself recognised it, and was prepared to do what Samus could not do, and evade the blast that would probably leave Mother Brain intensely vunerable. Unfortunately, it wasn't as either her or Nabiki expected...  
  
Mother Brain had learned from its mistakes before; its eye opened viciously, and instead of a beam that could possibly be evaded, the whole room became flooded with an intense wave of energy that immidiately brought Kasumi to her knees.  
  
"Wha... what?" Kasumi breathed, finding just about all the energy in her suite was zapped from her. Mother Brain quickly took advantage of the situation, and started to bombard its nemesis Space Hunter with lasers and other artillary. Kasumi attempted to stagger to her feet, but would be instantly felled by one of the beams or rings of energy from Mother Brain. The suit was almost nothing more than a dead weight to Kasumi now, and it only had about a full reserve tank of energy left before it was completely destroyed; her along with it.  
  
Kasumi resolved, that if she was going to down, it wouldn't be in failure...  
  
Mother Brain felt victory on the horizon. This time, there wouldn't be a traitorous metroid to save the Space Hunter this time. At the thought, Mother Brain closed its eyes, concentrated, and prepared itself for the overkill. Kasumi and Nabiki knew that this next blast would be the final one to finish the fight, and Kasumi decided to utilize the final weapon that would leave the suit dead all to but for life support, and drain a great deal of her own ki as well...  
  
Mother Brain's eye shot open, just in time for Kasumi to raise her arm cannon, and fire the hyperbeam dead into it.  
  
The beam easily cut through Mother Brains shielding, and ripped through the eye. With a wail of agony, the cluster of brains shuddered, and then exploded into a mass of techology and organic matter that shook the whole room, and destroyed just about everything left in the room, but the Space Hunter herself.  
  
Kasumi slowly pulled herself out of the rubble, and then fell to her knees. The flashing alarms around her signaled what was about to happen now.  
  
"[Kasumi, you only have approximately eight minutes to evacuate, there is an escape shaft that will..."  
  
"No," Kasumi said with a tired, but firm voice.  
  
"[No?] Nabiki asked, with curiousity in her voice and something else.  
  
Kasumi removed her helmet, and smirked to find a breathable atmosphere, "I'm staying, to ensure that Mother Brain is done for here."  
  
"[Kasumi, we can't be sure that its dead here, even if you stay,]" Nabiki said with a logical, yet strained tone.  
  
"Nabiki..." Kasumi started, "there is no way I could make it to the surface. The suit is dead, and I'm too tired."  
  
"[Then use my panties to charge yourself up again.]"  
  
Kasumi winced, "Ah... I guess you saw that, huh?"  
  
"[Kasumi...]"  
  
"Nabiki, the Federation will issue you another partner if you ask them. Just go back and tell them that we've finished the mission."  
  
"[Kasumi, I am not leaving until you are aboard this ship]" Nabiki replied in a firm and neutral voice.  
  
"What do you care?" was Kasumi's reply, as she watched one of the still slightly whole masses of the Mother Brain cluster droop down from the wires it was attached to.  
  
"[DAMMIT, KASUMI, YOU ARE ALL I HAVE LEFT, AND I WILL *NOT* LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!]" Kasumi's eyes went wide at the outburst, and then her heart lurched at the sobbing over the comm.  
  
"Nabiki?" Suddenly, Kasumi wasn't so committed to dying anymore. The Space Hunter quickly put on he helmet, and concentrated her life force to enhance her strength. Then, she quickly removed her suit, leaving only the comm. unit on her head and her arm cannon that held whatever remaining power the suit had in it.  
  
"[K-Kasumi...?]"  
  
"There's not enough time to get out of here. I'm in the center of the planet's core," Kasumi replied, "I'm going to have to stop the self-destruct..."The Space Hunter, clad only in a sports bra and leg tights rushed towards the exit   
  
"[There isn't a possible way, the command room was destroyed...]" Kasumi didn't reply, as she exited the room. She ignored the frantic space pirates that paused only in half hearted attempts to slow her down.   
  
Kasumi ignored them, following the maze to what she would surmise would be where the generator core of the space pirates' base was. "Nabiki, which way to the power core of this base?"   
  
Nabiki blinked at the question, "[Uh, there is a red marked vent shaft to regulate its temperature that in the bottom left of the room you're currently in, but why...]"  
  
"Just tell me how much time I have left!" Kasumi commanded, pushing herself to hyper speed without her suit. Nabiki counted down to less than two minutes, as Kasumi dropped down a red colored shaft, and kicked open the vent that was below her. She rebounded off the wall, and landed on a platform facing a massive glowing and pulsing sphere the size of a small apartment building. Kasumi knew that when they were going to destroy the base, it would be by overloading the generator. The only reason there was a count down was because the generator needed sufficient time to build up a critical overload. Kasumi's plan was simple, contain the overload.  
  
As Nabiki counted down twenty seconds in a very strained and chocked voice, Kasumi removed her arm cannon, and took a horse stance. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on her battle aura. An immense and menacing light version of her radiated out to the size of the energy core. With only four seconds left, Kasumi's aura formed two hands, and encircled the rapidly pulsing sphere.  
  
Kasumi almost faltered right at the initial pulse, but she held her ground, as she syphoned the access energy that was being expulged by the core, and synced it with her aura in a variation of Happosai aura technique that he used to freeze an opponent in place by sucking away their aura and will to fight back. She was beginning to feel lightheaded and drunk from the massive overload, but she wouldn't fail her sister, who she had finally gotten back. The energy was starting to overpower her will, and Kasumi gave a cry of fustration, determination, and anguish....  
______________________________  
  
Nabiki waited a couple of seconds after the cry, "Kasumi...?" When she recieved no responce, her voice became more urgent, "Kasumi? KASUMI!" After several shouts, and no reply, Nabiki collapsed onto the console, crying. Now, she was alone.  
  
"[Nabiki... Ah, I think I'm going to take a nice nap, now.]" Nabiki's head quickly shot up at her sister's responce, and hearing a dull thud of her body hitting the ground.  
  
"KASUMI!!!"  
  
"[I'm alright, just quit shouting or you'll lose your voice... or something.]" Nabiki's tears changed from desolation to joy. 


	13. Part 12; 'Finale'

Ranma/Metroid  
'Ill Gain'  
Finale  
  
  
  
The Galaxy Federation Council seemed to be at ease. After their lead Space Hunter's acknowlegement that the encampment of pirates had been subdued, and the newly engineered biological weapons that were the mutant metroids had been eliminated, they could once again assume the galaxy would be at peace.  
  
All present contemplated the events that had been given to them so far. The Galaxy Federation task force sent in to assist with the cleaning and dismantaling of the space pirate base could only give a few scant details on how events seemed to have gone, as well as the level of technology available to the the notorious bandits.  
  
The last part troubled the Council a great deal, as the description of much of it was prototype of the Federation's leading research facilities; there had not been any reports of it being attacked, which suggested more subtle access. The avenue of thought that was quickly dropped, as they were informed that Space Hunter Council private designate Gemini had arrived to give a full report. At the moment of the Hunter's arrival, each member baulked, not expecting an openly hostile Space Hunter.  
  
Kasumi stormed into the room, and pounded her hand through the podium she was to stand at. She stomped past the reminants, and approached the center of the 'u' that the Council sat at. She was violently glowing with what many of the empaths felt was angry energy that went well beyond any they recalled encountering.  
  
"GEMINI, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" one council member demanded, not finding the hostile actions of their leading Space Hunter approving in the least."  
  
For a moment, the Space Hunter quickly went to remove the helmet of its suit, but paused at the last instant. In a disguised voice laden with malice, the Hunter responded, "Earth..."  
  
"Earth? We do not understand..." another member started.  
  
"GV-4," Kasumi cut off, and behind her visor, narrowed her eyes as the Council Member's eyes lit up in recognition.  
  
"A... terrible catastrophy," the barely opaque orange chancellor with the raspy voice stated, "but, what does this have to do with your behavior?"  
  
"The metroids were purposely brought there to evolve," 'Gemini' answered, barely holding her fustration in control, "It was perfect for the Space Pirates, a constant emission of beta-rays that would allow the metroids to multiply, making it a prime breeding ground."  
  
"I still don't see the signifigance of this with your actions."  
  
"MY HOME WAS DESTROYED!!!" Kasumi ignored Nabiki's pleas, and removed her helmet to reveal her furious expression to those present. It was a shock to many, as the Space Hunter made it a supreme note to keep her privacy and her identity hidden; it was even compiled moreso to find that she was a former resident of GV-4.  
  
"Ah... our condolences could never be adequate enough to compensate for such a great loss," another chancellor spoke up, "but, as you stated it happened some time ago, why bring this up now, and why with such hostility directed towards us?"  
  
Kasumi bit back her seething reply, and forced herself to calm down. Last night, she had been truly joyous, for she had regained her sister. For the first time, since before the destruction of their home planet, since before their loss of innocence, Kasumi was the one cradling a crying Nabiki. It was a sensation Kasumi did not want to give up ever, the maternal instincts within her coming to the fore in her strongly as if it were her lot in life to comfort others.   
  
Nabiki was emotionally distraught, barely being able to manage under hysterics, as she unleashed seven long years of suppressed emotions to her older sister; of how dead she felt inside, and how the cold hollow within her eagerly swallowed up any showing of humanity she would have been capable of without filling any. With the realization of why the Metroids were really on Earth, the revealed fate of Ranma Saotome in the present, and the near loss of her own sister, the abyss within Nabiki failed to contain the raging torrents that saught to overwhelm it. In her confessions, Nabiki revealed everything, including the reasons for the metroids ending up on Earth.  
  
"On SS-42, the previous commander of the current incarnation of Mother Brain's Space Pirates was in contact with someone just as I entered the room. I did not get a good glimpse of who it was, but they referred to me as 'Gemini', only a designate that is privy to the Federation Council when I'm on delicate assignment. Everyone else knows me as designate SA."  
  
"You're not meaning to imply... that..." the chancellor of the orange tone whispered harshly.   
  
"From what we're... I'm guessing, someone wanted a new weapon for their own ill gain, and they were having the Space Pirates manufacture them. From the destruction of GV-4, the metroids had been engineered to gain certain... abilities of someone I... of my race; manipulation of their own bio-energies. Couple that with the ability to learn in combat, their own energy leeching abilities, and a new resistance to even their past weakness to cold; under someone's control, they would be far more deadly than anything we have ever encountered. After gaining what they needed from my home planet, it was decided that the destruction of it was nessessary by the council; working perfectly for the Pirates and their benefactor, as then any evidence pointing to their connection may have possibly been eradicated."  
  
"That... that is bad!" one of the Council members whispered in frightful awe, "We owe you a far larger debt than we imagined if this is the case. And if indeed a council member was behind this, no doubt for some political or martial gain..."  
  
"But, who would want to attempt to disrupt the Federation like so?"  
  
"I didn't get a good look at whoever it was..." Kasumi stated evenly. And then, without looking, brought her arm cannon up and aimed it to the side, freezing the currellian blue worm-like chancellor before he could even grow a startled expression, "... but his skin was the most interesting shade of blue..."  
_________________________________  
  
The next thing they needed to do. It was the most difficult thing to get approved, but after insisting that restitution was made, SS-42 now belonged to Space Hunter SA. Of course, to own a planet without a given reason was asanine. And the reason for such is why Kasumi now stood in one of the greatest scientific facilities of the Galactic Federation.  
  
"What you ask would not be entirely difficult, and I must say an admirable reason is that you do this," The scientist holding the container of a clear jelly-like substance that was the flesh of a metroid.  
  
"And I thank you for offering your assistance in bringing my race back from the brink of existance," Kasumi stated in gratitude, "You'll be able to create a signifigant amount of varied DNA samples from the metroid tissue and the deposits left on the earth relics I'm leaving you?"  
  
"Quite so. The relics you've given to us on loan in that quaint containment device contain spores of many different individuals of your human race. I estimate at least 8,000 should be readily available to us, plus the samples from yourself as a DNA map that we can utilize to strain the human DNA from the flesh of this piece of metroid, as well as a clone for you."  
  
"Ah...." Kasumi started, not sure about having a clone of herself around, "Do as you feel is nessessary, and the human race owes you a great debt."  
  
"It's the galaxy on whole that owes the failing human race a great debt, for it bred warriors such as you to combat great menaces."  
_________________________________  
  
The galaxy, exept for a few excursions, remained at peace. The notorious space pirates of Mother Brain had not been heard of for a great deal of time, though if they had revealed themselves, they would currently not be the problem of Nabiki or Kasumi Tendou of SS-42; New Earth. They had other obligations at the moment. They still ran minor missions, but their priorities were clearly elsewhere  
  
Nabiki looked over the children running around, playing and frolicing upon the terraformed lands of the previously violatle planet. It contained a great deal of resemblance to earth, but they were minor at best. Nabiki did not mind that at all; thought it was not the home that she had left behind, it was the new home that they would cherish.  
  
Kasumi walked to the side of her shorter sister, wearing the same type of loose fitting robes that Nabiki did, and looked over the new start of the human race. It had been four years since they requested 'maternity leave', and with the request of accellerated growth within the first two generations of the human race, or so, the planet would be strong with humanity.  
  
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Kasumi whispered, overlooking the young with a few assistants from other races helping to raise them.  
  
"Yes, they... Hiro, leave Yuka's hair alone... they are." Nabiki sighed, "I didn't think we would ever see another human besides the two of us ever again. After both of us were dead, that would be it."  
  
Kasumi's expression became somber, "That's true..."  
  
"Kasumi..."  
  
"Hmm?" the elder woman knew the question that was going to be asked, as Nabiki has asked it for the last four years. With the contented expression upon the younger sister's face, Kasumi decided that she could have the answer.  
  
"What had you meant by 'You were the last one'?"  
  
"You know the answer to that, already, sister," Kasumi replied with a serene tone, "You're asking just for confirmation."  
  
"Well then... confirm it for me?" Nabiki replied with a sardonic expression.  
  
Kasumi chuckled, "I... admit I lost faith in you. At that moment, I thought all that was left of you was a computer, not the sister I loved. I thought you had completely forgone... your humanity, and for that assumption, I can't apologise enough."  
  
Nabiki shook her head at her sister's teary face, and then smiled lightly, "It's okay, I can't imagine what it was like to live with me all that time without any true emotional support. You... you are stronger than you know."  
  
"I-I'm sorry, I'm so... so sorry," Kasumi sobbed, finding the confession way to overpowering over her emotions. The younger woman pulled her sister into a hug.  
  
"It's okay, I understand," Nabiki cooed softly, patting her sister tenderly on the back, "You didn't fail me, don't ever think that."  
  
After her sobs subsided, Kasumi kissed her sister on the forehead, "Have I told you how much I love you?"  
  
"You never need to, sis, you never need to."  
  
"Mom? Why's sensei crying?" A young boy asked curiously.  
  
Kasumi quickly dried her face, "It's... nothing, Ranma. I'm okay." The older woman broke away from her sister, and took a deep breath to steady herself, "So, are you ready for your next lessons? I'm not going to go easy on you!" The young boy's eyes gleamed with determination; anticipating the challenge his instructor in the arts would supply.  
  
With a flick of his pigtail, the young boy replied, "Bring it on, Mom, I can take anything you dish out at me!"  
  
"That's good," Nabiki replied, turning towards their domicile, "But I suggest practicing inside..."  
  
"Huh? Why?" Ranma asked, just as the rain hit.  
  
Kasumi chuckled, "Well, you don't work out enough as a girl, anyhow, Ranma-chan." The boy blinked, not understanding why his mothers always seemed to find humor in his 'curse'.  
  
"Hey, Mom, how come me, Ryoga, Mousse, Shampoo, Tarou, and Genma change, anyway?" 


End file.
